tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post113521216511672723..comments2024-03-14T00:16:32.077-07:00Comments on 50 Books: BOOKS: Me and My Little BrainTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16613804843380827691noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135661545202518332005-12-26T21:32:00.000-08:002005-12-26T21:32:00.000-08:00White Trasherati! landismom! My long-lost triplets...White Trasherati! landismom! My long-lost triplets! (Question: what do triplets refer to each other as? Twins would say, "This is my twin, SoAndSo." What would a triplet say?)<BR/><BR/>WT, I'm so jealous of your junior mafia. Where were cool kids like you when I was growing up?<BR/><BR/>Mary, I have a vague memory of reading the Homer Price books when I was a kid, but I've never heard of Alvin Fernald. I must find him!<BR/><BR/>And clearly I have to get a copy of <I>The Westing Game</I>, as well. Thanks for the recommendation!<BR/><BR/>DegreeMe, yeah, I thought of Encyclopedia Brown, too, but mainly in the context of thinking of Tom Fitzgerald as being like Encyclopedia's evil doppelganger. Heh.<BR/><BR/>It's so great to meet people who don't think that reading kids' books is goofy. I love children's literature. It's peopled with nerdy protagonists who always come out on top. That's a formula I can get behind.Tammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16613804843380827691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135321186008959062005-12-22T22:59:00.000-08:002005-12-22T22:59:00.000-08:00Another one that I believe deserves mention is goo...Another one that I believe deserves mention is good old "Encyclopedia Brown." I used to love reading that series as well as many of the others mentioned in this post.Online Degreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07129713202452944193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135290305442865322005-12-22T14:25:00.000-08:002005-12-22T14:25:00.000-08:00Oh yes, you can't forget The Westing Game! Not onl...Oh yes, you can't forget The Westing Game! Not only is it a great mystery, and has Turtle, who fits right in with the other precocious kids you mentioned, but said precocious kid shows up all the greedy adults in the book. There was a huge waiting list for that book in our school library.KThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02165100078263150451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135267282149261972005-12-22T08:01:00.000-08:002005-12-22T08:01:00.000-08:00I loved the Great Brain when I was younger! I wen...I loved the Great Brain when I was younger! I went through all the books in the school library because I was so amused. I always felt bad for poor John, though, so I liked it when he was finally able to get things done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135264881334902962005-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:002005-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:00What about The Westing Game?What about The Westing Game?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135264227684272082005-12-22T07:10:00.000-08:002005-12-22T07:10:00.000-08:00I remember the horrible "Great Brain" TV show, sta...I remember the horrible "Great Brain" TV show, starring Jimmy Osmond. <BR/><BR/> BLEAH BLEAH BLEAH<BR/><BR/>He was doughy and pasty and couldn't act, so it was more like "The Apprentice, Junior: The Trumpening".<BR/><BR/>But Harriet and Claudia are wonderful, as are Henry Reed and Midge Glass. Don't forget Midge!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135263554112334112005-12-22T06:59:00.000-08:002005-12-22T06:59:00.000-08:00What a post! From the first paragraph I was think...What a post! From the first paragraph I was thinking "Ah, the Mixed Up Files of Mrs....my favorite book EVER as a kid. And its what set off my NY obsession as well.<BR/>Didn't run away as a child because I had license to roam freely, but I did construct a small home out of cardboard boxes in a side yard. The elaborate plans included a sink fed from a garden hose from the main house. I even planned for windowboxes!<BR/>And Doppelganger, I actually formed a small mafia in 6th grade. We stood for truth, justice, and geeky bibliophiles and we ROCKED. Never engaged in a single fight, and won over several with our witty repartee. Good times - but I just realized to my horror that I no longer have a copy of The Mixed-Up Files - am off to the bookstore NOW as that must be remedied. Thanks for the awesome post! I think you, landismom, and I are triplets separated at birth...White Trasheratihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042088512423099447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135259535810346522005-12-22T05:52:00.000-08:002005-12-22T05:52:00.000-08:00I believe that we must have been separated at birt...I believe that we must have been separated at birth. Here's my evidence:<BR/><BR/>...Mixed Up Files... is my favorite book of all time. I bought it for my daughter while she was still in utero. By the time she was five, I had already read it to her twice.<BR/><BR/>When I was 8, I was convinced that I was going to build a radio in my basement. I think the major ingredients included a Barbie purse. I even took my 'radio' to school for show and tell.<BR/><BR/>Finally, one of my brothers and I once ran away from home together. Unfortunately, there was no train from my New Jersey hometown into Manhattan, otherwise I would surely have convinced him to cough up his allowance. As it was, we hunkered down in a ditch with all our worldly possessions until we got hungry.<BR/><BR/>Great, great postlandismomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10328094347362872558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135258848662463322005-12-22T05:40:00.000-08:002005-12-22T05:40:00.000-08:00I read almost all of these books and LOVED them! I...I read almost all of these books and LOVED them! I had a similar difficulty when trying to follow in Harriet's footsteps - living in the middle of a cornfield in Central Illinois is just not conducive to good spying. :)<BR/><BR/>If you like these (yes, I’m a librarian and can not help but push books!), you might like the Alvin Fernald series by Clifford B. Hicks. Alvin is sort of a super-genius inventor, and solves mysteries with his best friend, Shoey, while his younger sister interferes. I think they may all be out of print, but a library might have them still. I read these books for hours and hours, over and over, when I was a kid! <BR/><BR/>Also, the Henry Reed books sound very similar to the series about Homer Price. I’m fuzzy on the details at this late date, but I believe he also lived with his grandparents in a small town (long ago) and did wonderful things (I remember him fixing the doughnut machine, and then being overwhelmed by doughnuts). I know I have seen these in libraries still, not sure if they are in print. Another great series!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for all your reading inspiration this year!<BR/><BR/><BR/>MaryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135257312026893212005-12-22T05:15:00.000-08:002005-12-22T05:15:00.000-08:00I love the Great Brain! But the only one I have is...I love the Great Brain! But the only one I have is the Great Brain at the Academy -- a great one, but I need to get the others from the library soon -- it's been too long!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1135254846525692272005-12-22T04:34:00.000-08:002005-12-22T04:34:00.000-08:00All through the first half of this entry, I was wa...All through the first half of this entry, I was waiting for the mention of The Great Brain. I can't believe you'd never read him before! They're so fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com