Books That Remain in Our Hearts and Our Minds

by Alana Morgaine

Looking back at the books you read as a child, there are probably always a few that stood out among the rest. Names like The Wizard of Oz and Alice and Wonderland are just a few of the books that have stood the test of time. Without these amazing works of literature, we would have been unable to leave our world behind and explore the fantasy worlds that allowed us to delve deep into our imagination.

Alice In Wonderland
Written by Lewis Carroll, one of the books that immediately comes to mind as an outstanding children's book is of course Alice in Wonderland. About a seven year old named Alice, this book took us to places that we never anticipated. When she fell asleep and plunged down that rabbit hole, we could never have expected the adventures she would face with Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the King and Queen of Hearts.

This book was originally published on July 4, 1865. The story was told by a Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and Reverend Robinson Duckworth. During a time when both reverends rowed up the River Thames with three little girls. As they journeyed up the river, the reverend shared a story about a girl name Alice who is very bored and goes on an adventure. The young girls asked Reverend Dodgson to write the story down. The young girls who first heard this story were age, 13, 10, and 8.The 10 year old's name was Alice Liddell. Reverend Dodgson gave his first manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground to her sometime around November 26, 1864. It was speculated from Dodgson's diaries that he actually gave the first manuscript to another friend prior to giving one to Alice Liddle. The friend George MacDonald loved it and adviced Dodgson to submit it for publication.

The Wizard Of Oz
Another famous children's book that still today lives on in history is The Wizard of Oz. Still being shown as a movie, there is just nothing like the original book to instill fun, enjoyment, excitement, and even fear in the hearts of little children. L. Frank Baum was the real man behind the curtain, and through his words, we learned of the trials and tribulations of a girl named Dorothy. Although in the book the Munchkins, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were real and not brought about from a tornado, this book allowed us to feel as if these characters were our friends.

This book was orginally published by George Hill company in Chicago in 1900. The orginal name of the book was The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. The actual first edition was published in 1901.

The first film of the Wizard Of Oz was in 1908 as a silent film with actress Mildred harris. The most recognized successful film came in 1939 called The Wizard Of Oz where Judy Garland played Dorothy. There were other versions of the film made prior to 1939 as well. One in which Baum produced was called His majesty, The Scarecrow Of Oz in 1914.

Charlotte's Web
A story about animals that talk and a girl who loves them as if they were family, Charlotte's Web was a children's book that especially stays in the hearts of little girls around the world. With a sophisticated vocabulary, Charlotte the spider feels she must save the life of Wilbur the pig in an unusual way. Although they have a love hate relationship in the beginning, Charlotte, as told by writer E.B. White, worked day and night to write messages in her web in order to save Wilbur from slaughter.

First publication of this book was in 1952. The author also wrote the book Stuart Little. The book begins with the story of a litter of pigs with one being a runt that was to be killed. The 8 year old daughter Fern of the farmer John Arable begs to not kill the runt. The runt ends up being given to Fern as a pet and so the story begins.

Little Women
Burned into the mind of young women everywhere was the story of Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott. Based on the life of Ms. Alcott this 19th century family portrayed the best and the worst about growing up in New England during the Civil War. With the beauty of Meg, the talents of Jo, the weakness of Beth, and the spoiled nature of Amy, it is hard not to fall in love with these four women through the dreams, courtships, and growing up.

The Little Women novel was first published in 1868. The book was based on the author's own personal live experiences as a child living in Boston and Concord Massachusetts with her three sisters.

Old Yeller
Finally you have a book that still touches the hearts of many children who read it. Old Yeller, written by Fred Gipson was as much about the Texas Frontier, as it was about the ugly stray dog that kept Travis safe and protected on his ranch. Full of laughter, tears, and heartbreak, this book will always be remembered fondly by any child who reads it.

This book was first published in 1956. The film Old Yeller was made in 1957. The actual title of this book was named after a fictional Mountain Cur dog. The dog in this story is the main character in the book. The actors included in the first film were Dorothy McGuire and Tommy Kirk.

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Literary festival to celebrate The Wind in the Willows

THE anniversary of Wind in the Willows is going to be celebrated by Henley schools (England) as part of the Literary Festival on September 19th.

Four performances have been organised for the first day of the festival, meaning that around 400 school children will see the event.

Exactly 100 years ago the secretary of the Bank of England put the manuscript of a book into an envelope and sent it off to a firm of publishers. They were unimpressed, and sent it back. He tried again, submitting the book to several other firms. They too rejected it. It was not until October, 1908, and the unexpected intervention of President Roosevelt that Kenneth Grahame’s fifth book, The Wind In The Willows, was finally published.

Read more...

History of Dick and Jane Readers

By Barbara Gardner

Do you remember sitting in your first grade classroom learning to read from one of the Dick and Jane books? We older folks on the planet can just about mark our ages based on which Dick and Jane edition we learned to read from. Learn to read with Sally, Dick, and Jane? Then you are probably a child of the fifties. Remember Mike, Pam and Penny? Then you most likely are a child of the sixties, when black children were introduced into the readers.

The series is called the Curriculum Foundation Series and was authored by Dr. William S. Gray and William H. Elson. The Curriculum Foundation Series evolved out of a set of elementary readers called the Elson Readers. A Dick and Jane collector will recognize some of the same stories in both sets of readers. All serious Dick and Jane collectors should strive to include the Elson Readers in their sets.

The first Dick and Jane book was a 1930 Pre-Reader, a wordless picture book. New titles were introduced in 1940, 1946, 1951, 1962, and lastly in 1965. The illustrators for Dick and Jane books changed, as well as the look of the books through the decades. Mew the kitten became Puff. Happy changed from a Terrier to Spot the Cocker Spaniel. Toys changed, as did clothing, and the cars Mother and Father drove.

The books are based on limited basic vocabulary and the plot of each story is delivered through profuse illustrations. Well-known Dick and Jane book illustrator Eleanor Campbell used photographs of children at play to create vivid colorful illustrations. Richard Childress had his two young daughters model for his Jane and Sally illustrations.

Besides the paper books with staples and cloth tape spines, there were also Dick and Jane hard cover books, workbooks, guide books, posters, puzzles, calendars, napkins, valentines, mugs and teacher manuals. There were picture books without words for pre-readers, and there were pre-primers (We Look and See, We Work and Play, We Come and Go), the Junior Primer (Guess Who), and the Primer (Fun with Dick and Jane). Dick and Jane also taught basic hygiene and health in Good Times with Our Friends.

Along with reading basics, each release of the Dick and Jane series taught values such as sharing, responsibility, health, safety and helping others. Exact copies of the books were published for Canadian schools. Catholic schools also adopted the curriculum and revised the books to include Catholic teachings in the stories. In about half of the Cathedral editions, Dick, Jane and Sally have been renamed John, Jean and Judy.

In the sixties, the perfect family life of Mother, Father, Dick and Jane in their white suburban world began to be questioned. In response, the publishers in 1965 expanded the neighborhood of Dick and Jane to include a black family. Despite this major change, controversy continued to grow. In 1970, Scott, Foresman and Company made the decision to stop publishing the Dick and Jane series.

Many schools ordered all remaining books be destroyed. Teachers, staff, and some students kept some of the discarded books, and these are the books collectors seek today. Dick and Jane pre-primers and primers can still be found, but are becoming scarcer. Teaching aids such as the flashcards, the paper doll cut-outs and Our Big Book (the large easel-supported book) are commanding high prices due to their scarcity.

Millions of children learned to read with the Dick and Jane textbooks. Sally, Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff are a part of our national culture. While there are no books or stories within the Dick and Jane books series titled See Spot Run, it is a sentence used in several early stories of the series. This nostalgic sentence, See Spot run, has even become a part of our cultural background with the release in 2001 of the movie by the same name.

Many of us want a Dick and Jane book because it is a part of our past. Others want their children to learn to read from them. Many baby-boomers remember them well, for they taught us to read, they kept our interest, and they helped us become life-long readers.

The author is webmaster of Book Brigade, where you can buy discount children's books online.

Review: CS Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia

By Maureen Archer

C.S. Lewis wrote seven connecting stories for children titled the "Chronicles of Narnia." These stories are extremely similar to those found in the bible. Lewis used his religious background and beliefs to create Narnia and its characters, along with the conflicts and experiences that they go through. The stories teach children biblical tales in a fun and exciting new way and they do not even realize it is happening.

The first story written in "The Chronicles of Narnia" is "The Lion, The Witch, and Wardrobe." This story introduces us to the world of Narnia. During World War II four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy are sent to live with the interestingly odd Professor Kirke. The youngest child Lucy, when exploring the house, comes across a wardrobe in one of the rooms. She steps into the wardrobe and arrives in a snowy wooded area. This is Narnia. Narnia becomes a parallel universe for all that enter it. The world is filled with characters and situations that parallel the bible stories. This first story connects to the gospel stories in the bible from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

None of the children believe Lucy when she tells them about Narnia until one day when Edmond follows her into the wardrobe and encounters the White Witch. She feeds Edmond an enchanted Turkish Delight, which makes him crave chocolate. The Witch uses Edmonds greed to trick him into bringing his other siblings into Narnia. The witch can be compared to the devil throughout the series. She tempts Edmond to manipulate him into doing things that are wrong.

Edmond still says that Lucy is silly for believing in Narnia and one day the children hide in the wardrobe from a housekeeper and end up in Narnia. Lucy takes them to Tumnus' house where they find that he has been arrested for treason. Tumnus was the first character Lucy met when she went to Narnia. The children set out on a mission to rescue Tumnus from the Witch and meet a doubtful Mr. Beaver who leads them to Aslan the lion. Edmond runs away to warn the Witch of his siblings plan and she is nervous because of an ancient prophecy that says four humans will overthrow the Witch and reign over Narnia.

Edmond betrays his siblings much in the same way that Judas betrayed Jesus. "Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?' They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over." (Matthew 26:14) Judas was driven by his greed for money when he betrayed Jesus, and Edmond is driven by his greed for Turkish Delite when he betrays his family, and more importantly Aslan, who's character as we will see parallels Jesus.

The children race to beat the Witch to Stone Table and meet Aslan to end the spell. The Witch is desperate to reach the Stone Table and treats Edmond poorly on the way. Aslan promises to help get Edmond back and Peter saves Susan from a wolf. Aslan sees another wolf and they follow it hoping it will lead them to Edmond and the Witch.

Peter can be compared to the disciple Peter because both seemed to take on the leadership role of their groups. Peter, alongside Aslan, helped his sisters out of trouble and led them to the Stone Table much as Peter, alongside Jesus, helped the other disciples and led them.

The group saves Edmond just before the Witch kills him, and she vanishes into the landscape. The witch and Aslan make a deal that makes him very sad and depressed. The girls walk with him to the Stone Table where he tells them they must turn around and go back. The girls do not leave, but instead watch as the Witch tortures and kills Aslan, who has sacrificed his life for Edmond. The girls stay with Aslan all night and awake to the Stone Table being broken open and find that Aslan has risen from the dead. Aslan takes the girls to the castle where the prisoners in stone are freed. Aslan proceeds to kill the Witch and Peter's troops finish off her followers.

Anyone who has ever read the bible or heard the story of Jesus can easily pick up on the parallel between Aslan sacrificing his life to save Edmond and Jesus sacrificing his life to save mankind. Aslan died and expunged Edmunds sin, allowing him to live. Christ died on the cross for the sins of humanity, allowing mankind to live. "The hour is at hand when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners." (Matthew 26:45) Aslan handed himself to the Witch as Jesus handed himself to the sinners.

The Stone Table played an important part in the story and references another important person in biblical history. "Moses ... wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." (Exodus 35:29) Moses brought the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments the people to live by. When Aslan rises from the dead, in front of Susan and Lucy, and breaks the Stone Table it is a symbol of the old, cruel ways of our past being shattered and birth of the new, lighter times that lie ahead.

Susan and Lucy stay with Aslan all night after he dies and are there when he resurrects the next morning. For this they can be compared to Mary Magdeline and "the other Mary." (Matthew 28:1) In both cases the two women were the first to find out about the resurrection and see the spirit of the saviors. "There was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it." (Matthew 28:2) Though it is not exactly alike, the similarities are strikingly close. "At that moment they heard from behind them a loud noise - a great cracking, deafening noise as if a giant had broken a giant's plate." (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, pg158)

The story ends as the children grow up and reign over Narnia, until one day they return to the lamp post and fall back into the real world where they find that they have not aged at all. They tell Professor Kirke and he assures them that they will visit Narnia again.

The second of Lewis' works that was analyzed was "The Magicians Nephew." This story tells the tale of Polly and Digory, two neighbors who become friends. They follow secret caves and lead themselves to a house that they believe to be empty, but find that it is fully furnished and a man called Uncle Andrew lives there. Curiosity and temptation drive this story along and create an alliance between today's world and the biblical times.

Uncle Andrew tells them of an experiment he is running, and gives Polly a yellow ring before he sends her home for dinner. She disappears to another world. Digory is determined to find her and takes the two green rings, that will get them out of the alternate world, and a yellow ring to get him into it. He found himself in a wooded area, similar to what the children in the first Narnia book entered into. Digory sees a girl under a tree, who says she has always been in this world, he also claims to be from the world. They see a guinea pig with a yellow ring and remember Uncle Andrew and the experiment.

This is the set up for the religious symbolism that is to show up for the remainder of the story. This book is compared to the book of Genesis from the bible. Uncle Andrew put a male and a female into a wooded area and had them thinking that they had always been there and that they were created to live there. They are mystified by the new worlds they have been put into and choose to venture around and figure out where everything goes before they go home. Adam and Eve also ventured around and figured out their surroundings when their adventure led them to the Garden of Eden.

As the children look around they find themselves in a hall with wax statues of people. They turn from kind and gentle to cruel and evil. The final figure is the most ferocious of all, beautiful but cruel. I believe Lewis is showing how at first Eden was perfect for Adam and Eve, but slowly and surely as Satan continued to pursue them it turned. The final figure is the forbidden fruit that eventually led them to perform the first sin and change life on earth forever.

Digory suggests that the pair check out a pillar in the center of the room. The pillar contains a small golden bell with a hammer to strike it. There is writing on the pillar suggesting that if they strike the bell there could be danger, and if they do not then they would go mad wondering what happens if they do ring the bell. Digory wants to do it, and though Polly objects, he does it anyway. Immediately there is an unbearably loud sound echoing throughout the hall and parts of the ceiling collapsed until the awful sound ended. Adam and Eve had a similar experience. "The serpent asked the woman, 'Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?' The woman answered the serpent: 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit in the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" (Genesis 3:1) The serpent proceeded to tell them that, "No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad." (Genesis 3:5) Eve ate the apple as Digory did and though the ceiling did not collapse, the world as they knew it certainly did.

When the pair thinks the incident is over, the fiercely beautiful creature rises from her chair and questions the children of her awakening. God found Adam and Eve after their incident and questions them of their awakening as well. "The Lord God said to the woman, why did you do such a thing?" (Genesis 3:13) The beautiful creature informs Digory that he is not of royal blood and wonders how he arrived there. Polly says it was by magic, and when Digory agrees she figures that he is not a magician, but has traveled on another's magic. Uncle Andrew.

The Lion character of Aslan returns in this story, again as the Jesus or God figure. He sings a beautiful song that makes vegetation and animals begin to fill the wooded area and color the land. Everything that comes out of the ground hails the Lion, Aslan, knowing that he is in command. This is an obvious reference to God creating the world. "God said, 'Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds." (Genesis 1:24) "God also said: 'See, I give you every seed bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food." (Genesis 1:29) God created the earth and its vegetation, and Aslan brought vegetation to the land of Narnia.

Digory approaches Aslan in an attempt to learn a secret, perhaps a miracle that could save his sick mother. Aslan says that Digory must undo what he has done (letting the Witch out) and Digory again says he needs help for his mother, but sees that Aslan has tears in his eyes and shares his pain. This is a typical scene in the bible describing Jesus when asked for help. He always showed that he could feel the pain and that as those around him hurt, he also hurt.

For Digory to fix his mistake he is told to travel to west of Narnia and pick an apple from a tree that grows in a garden there and return it to Aslan. Polly goes along with Digory on this mission and when they arrive at the garden there is a message saying that they should only take fruit for others, and not for themselves. Digory picks a silver apple from the tree and encounters the witch who tries to manipulate him into picking another apple for his dying mother. She claims that Aslan does not care about his mother and wants the apple for Himself. This is a clear depiction of when Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The interesting twist, however, is that Digory did not pick the extra apple but instead retreated and returned to Aslan to show that their task has been completed. Because Digory followed his directions he was able to take an apple for his dying mother. When he returned home, he fed her the apple, and buried some of it in the back yard where another beautiful apple tree grew. I believe Lewis did this because he wanted to update the story a little bit. It is possible to learn from the mistakes of the past and do the right thing in the future. Digory was tempted, but did not bite.

The story ends with a surprising connection to "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." The tree that Digory planted in his yard was knocked down by a storm, and he could not bear to see it cut up and burned as fire wood. He decided to have it turned into a wardrobe to be placed in his old house in the country. Though he never knew that the tree truly did hold some magical properties a young girl in another story was sure to find it and travel between London and Narnia and have adventures of her own.

The final work from C.S. Lewis to be discussed is "The Last Battle." This is the final story in the series and brings the progression to a full circle. "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" was based on gospel stories, "The Magician's Nephew" was inspired by Genesis, and "The Last Battle" follows suit as it parallels the book of Revelation. This final chapter in the "Chronicles" is darker than the other stories, but because of the biblical references it only makes sense that this is how the series would end.

The story begins with Puzzle the donkey and Shift the ape sitting around a pool. A lion skin flies into the pool and Shift tells Puzzle to wear it and pretend that he is Aslan so Narnian's would listen to his every command. Shift manipulates Puzzle into wearing the suit and pretending to be Aslan. Puzzle is a prime example of the type of idol that the bible warns us against. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath" (Exodus 20:4)

The story continues, but the really interesting connections do not come until the end. Characters from the previous books begin returning to Narnia. The final chapters of this book are almost identical to the final chapters in Revelations in the bible. In the story, Peter is told to lock the door to the old Narnia behind the group as they venture forward with a key that he was given. The bible has a similar idea. "Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss ... he seized the dragon, the ancient serphant, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray," (Revelation 20:1) Peter plays the part of the angel and they both lock up the evils of the past as they move forward to a better future.

Narnia collapsed and was destroyed as it became nothing more than deserted land. Water crashed over the land and covered the area that was once the beloved Narnia in front of Aslan, just as "the earth and sky fled from his presence" in the bible. (Revelation 20:11) Aslan sat at the edge of this deserted area and all of the characters and creatures from Narnia, living and dead, ran to him to be judged and see if they would be sent to his left to disappear in his shadow forever or separated to his right to continue further up and further in. The bible reads, "I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life." (Revelation 20:12) The book of life is how their fate was decided just as looking into Aslan's face was how Narnian's fates were decided.

The characters followed through until they found themselves in a new Narnia. All realized that everything was more beautiful there. They saw England within England and could see Professor Kirke's old house and even their parents. Again, the similarity is astounding. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." (Revelation 21:1)

They felt young again, as if they were children and could run around and do anything. They attempted to run to their parents, when Aslan appeared in front of them. Lucy voices concern about returning to their real worlds, and Aslan tells them that they are dead and can stay forever. He then turns from a Lion into a greater and more beautiful form. The children move westward and come to a new Narnia where they climb a high mountain and find a golden bridge. They continue through and many familiar faces from Narnia watch them as they travel further up and further in.

In a section titled, The New Jerusalem, another comparison is formed. "He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God." (Revelation 21:9) In both cases they are traveling to the gates of heaven where they will enter and spend eternity.

The religious symbolism throughout the chronicles is astounding. Lewis found a way to teach children tales from the Bible through fantasy and epic storytelling. The books have held through time and were found to be classics in children's literature. The idea that the children passed from today's world into a world when these issues were happening is both creative and impressive. Lewis created a way for children today to relate to the biblical stories and learn them without even realizing that they are doing it.

Works Cited

Lewis, C.S. The Last Battle. Macmillan Publishing. New York.
1956.

Lewis, C.S. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Macmillan
Publishing. New York. 1950.

Lewis, C.S. The Magician's Nephew. Macmillan
Publishing. New York. 1955.

The New American Bible Saint Joseph, ed.
Catholic Book Publishing, New York, 1970.

Great Moments In Hardy Boys History

by Robert Gould

Long before reading was fundamental or Harry Potter and Captain Underpants burst onto the scene with magic and scatological humor (respectively), there were The Hardy Boys - the well-groomed, good-natured, parent-friendly siblings who attracted heinous crimes like Curious George attracts malfunctioning candy factories.

First authored by Leslie MacFarlane (and then by a legion of ghostwriters), the Hardys have become a world-wide phenomenon in their 80-plus years of existence.

Here are a few great and not so great moments from the history of the Hard Boys:

The Tower Treasure released

Even now, cynical and crusty at the age of 54, seeing the cover of this book gives me goose bumps. It was cool then and it's cool now. In a preview of themes from just about every book in the series, The Tower Treasure begins with the boys chasing a stranger who is up to no good and ends with the somewhat death-defying hope that "another mystery would soon come their way." And indeed it did. The 57 volumes that followed would represent the canon of classic Hardy Boys mysteries, as well as one of the greatest selling literary series of all time.

The boys go "PC"

After 1959, editors, concerned about the rather WASPy nature of the lead characters, gave Frank and Joe a couple of ethnic sidekicks to help out the crew in a more socially acceptable way. Young readers growing up in Middle America were now exposed to the Italian and Jewish cultures via new side-kick characters Tony Prito and Phil Cohen. Elie Weisel it wasn't, but it still represented an admirable effort, during that time, to expose young minds to different American cultures.

Giving birth to a genre

The success of the Hardy Boys paved the way for additional popular youth-oriented titles. The Hardy's original publisher, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, went on to sell tens of millions of copies of The Bobsey Twins, Tom Swift, and of course Joe and Frank's female counterpart, Nancy Drew (with whom the Boys would team up in countless popular stories over the years).

The Boys become a world-wide phenomenon

As of 2007, The Hardy Boys have been translated into over 25 different languages, including Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Russian and Japanese - thus proving the universal appeal of a sinister figure, a hidden key and a creaky grandfather clock.

An important place in education

Perhaps the most prominent place the Hardy Boys hold in history is that they have kick-started a love of reading with generations of boys. In a world where boys lag significantly behind girls in reading skills, these simple mystery books geared towards young males have stood out like beacon. One can only imagine how many great students and authors have achieved success thanks to their entry - via the Hardy Boys - into the world of reading. There's no denying their place as one of the best literary on-ramps for young men who have gone on to bigger and better things.

What does the future hold for the frères Hardy? One can only hope that, like Lincoln Logs and Raggedy Ann, this is a timeless childhood classic that will never truly go away - even in the face of PlayStation 6's or Virtual Rubik cubes. The Hardy Boys are a classic, and classics never go out of style.

Robert Gould is a children's literacy advocate and the Creator/Author of 19 books for boys, including the popular new "movie-style" Time Soldiers® adventure books and "Father and Son Read Aloud Stories." You can find more information on books and reading for boys at http://www.bigguybooks.com/ For a FREE dinosaur book to get your reluctant reader jump started on a life-long love of reading, go to http://www.freedinosaurbook.com/