Moby-Dick Summer

For the last few years, my friend and I read Moby-Dick.  We got the idea from a Substack that encouraged readers to complete the entire book in one summer, starting on Memorial Day, and ending on Labor Day.  In the end, that schedule was too ambitious, so the end point soon became sometime in late September, but it sparked a fun tradition and one that I look forward to continuing.  Not much to say about it right now, but I did want to mention that the great White Whale has entered the fray, and I'll be reading this book as part of my summer reading challenge, too!

See you on the open seas, friends!

A Sand County Vacation

Next on our adventuresome list is A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.  And as a quick aside, the copy that I read also had excerpts from another Leopold book, Round River.  Now, Sand County is not a real place, in that there is no place called that.  But, it's real in that it's based on the location where Leopold had his sort of vacation house.  So, real place, but not real name.  The main oomph of the book was set in Wisconsin and takes the reader through a year on this property, month by month.  It was beautiful, it was relaxing, and I enjoyed it very much.

Now, nothing against Round River, but I found the second half of the book to be a trifle dry.  I wanted to learn more about the beauty of bird song and how trees are sawed down, not to be be beaten over the head with talk of conservation.  Don't get me wrong: conservation is so, so important!  But, it made for less than thrilling reading.  This is an example of one of those books were I can tell right away that I'm not the target audience...and that's okay.  Still, I enjoyed the lazy days spent in Sand County, and, to a lesser extent, those on Round River.

States Visited: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah

Mark, by Mark

Mark Twain is one of several authors who is a contender to have written The Great American Novel (in this case, it being his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).  Now, I've read Huck Finn more than enough times, both for school and for personal interest, so instead of reading it for Summer Reading, I thought it might be fun to read a little bit about Mark Twain.  So, I'm starting with two books by Twain scholar Mark Dawidziak (he kinda looks a little like Twain, too!)

Starting with Mark Twain in Ohio, we have a fascinating romp of Twain's adventures through the Buckeye State.  The first section was a bit of a roadmap of where he went, who he stayed with, touring companions, and where he gave his lectures.  It might come across as a little dry to someone who is not a fan of Twain, but then again, why would you be reading this book if you didn't like Twain at least a little?

The second part of the book is where it really shines.  Dawidziak shares a couple of scripts from Twain's lectures.  Since he changed the content of each speech from location to location, there's not one fool-proof script, but the book does a great job of compiling one from transcripts and notes.

The second book, Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health, and Happiness was also extremely amusing.  The whole book consists of quotes on various topics, but Twain is so witty you don't mind reading what is essentially a glorified quote book.  I found a lot of great material here, and it only whet my appetite for more Twain.

Dawidziak has written more on Twain so I'll definitely have to check out his other books.  If you want to check out his website, you can find it here.  There are links to all his books included.

States Visited: Ohio

The Accidental Honeymoon

Our next stop on the all-American road trip is Maryland with David Potter's book, An Accidental Honeymoon.

I'll be honest, dear readers, that I picked this one up strictly because I needed a story set in Maryland for my summer reading challenge.  I really knew nothing about it (the state or the book, although my aunt and uncle lived there for a while).  But, the book was short and free on Project Gutenberg, so why the heck not?

This little romance novel follows Tom, a man of some little fame, who goes to visit some of his friends in Maryland.  There, he meets a lovely young woman named Betty, after she slips and twists her ankle while playing in the river.  Tom attempts to be coy, refusing to reveal his real name, and despite the secrets, the two strike up a charming friendship.

Mysteries abound, however, in this brief tale, as other characters hint at something—or someone—of note at the farmhouse where Betty is staying.  And everything comes to a head when Tom and Betty take a boating trip, and get caught in a horrible storm.

It's really hard to say much without giving away the brief plot, so I'm going to stop here.  But, I recommend you check this one out.  It's nothing crazy, but I enjoyed it.

Find online: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46195

States visited: Maryland

Spooky S.E. Schlosser

Among the stack of books my librarians have given me were several by folklorist S.E. Schlosser.  For this blog post, I selected just a handful of them:

• Spooky New England
• Spooky Michigan
• Spooky Great Lakes

and decided to have a bit of fun.  The collections were pretty solid-- scary stories retold in a more conversational style that draws them out and makes them feel more like short stories than folktales.  While I generally prefer my folklore to sound like someone's reciting it aloud, I liked Schlosser's writing style and found the stories to be both chilling and engaging.  There were a few overlapping tales between the three collections, with Spooky Great Lakes having stories that I had read in one or the other of the collections on this list, but I didn't feel that it ruined my reading experience in any way.

As an added bonus, with just three books, we were able to visit 14 states!  We're well on our way to completing the map!

There are more in the series (lots more) and I can see myself jumping back into these chilling tales later in the summer if time allows.  For now, though, I want to direct y'all to the author's website, in case you wanted to learn more.

States Visited: Michigan, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania

Fifty Nifty States

I've decided to add another layer to this year's Summer Reading Challenge to keep things fun and interesting.  Since this is Road Trip Americana, why not use a map to keep track of which states we've "visited" on our trip?

To do this, I'll add in which states were visited at the bottom of each blog post.  And for a  state to count, there has to be at least a little detail about it.  So, for example, if a character spends a night in Ohio, that's fine.  But, if the whole thing amounts to: "We travelled through Pennsylvania and Ohio on our way to Michigan" then we won't count those states because at most, they only got one shared line.

We've already got a few states to start with.  Our summer preview on Stephen Vincent Benet included New Hampshire, New York, and Washington D.C.

I'll share the completed list at the end, and we can see how many of the 50 states were actually visited.  I'm hoping to hit about half of them.

If you're reading along with this challenge, feel free to do the same.  Print yourself a map, color in the states as you read them, and see if you can beat my road trip record!  Here's the one I'm using.

The Adventures of Daniel Webster

 

Summer reading 2026 starts on May 1st.  But, I've never been good at waiting, so I decided that the best way to entertain myself would be to pick up a temporary read to bridge the gap until Ahmed and Kilbronson brought me my books.  Enter one of my favorite short stories of all time: "The Devil and Daniel Webster," by Stephen Vincent Benet.

This chilling tale tells of Jabez Stone, a farmer plagued by luck so rotten that in a moment of desperation, he makes a deal with the devil in return for seven years of prosperity.  He gets what he asked for, but of course, soon enough, Old Scratch comes to claim what is his.  So, Stone does the only thing that he can think of: he hires the best lawyer in the country to save his soul.

This story is endlessly entertaining, the high stakes keep a strong thread of tension throughout the story, and Benet's writing crafts scenes that are atmospheric and utterly chilling.  While there are plenty of horror stories out there that can scare and disgust, this is one of the few stories that I can read again and again and it still makes my blood run cold in my veins in a way that no other tales seem to capture.

Of course, "Daniel Webster" makes for a great appetizer to this year's Summer Reading Challenge, as Webster is presented as a good old American hero, with "eyes like burning anthracite".  Just sample this quote from early in the story:

They said, when he stood up to speak, stars and stripes came right out in the sky, and once he spoke against a river and made it sink into the ground.  They said, when he walked the woods with his fishing rod, Killall, the trout would jump out of the streams right into his pockets, for they knew it was no use putting up a fight against him; and, when he argued a case, he could turn on the harps of the blessed and the shaking of the earth underground.  That was the kind of man he was...

In reality, Webster's legacy ended up somewhat tarnished by the end, but I would argue that everything he said and did was out of a deep love for his country.

Now, the copy of the book that I read also included two other stories: "By the Waters of Babylon" and "Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer."  The first is about a young man from a tribal culture who goes to the "Place of the Gods" even though it is forbidden, in order to seek knowledge.  And "Johnny Pye" is the story of a young man who is on the run from an imagined threat called The Fool Killer, who he believes is coming for him.  The story is bittersweet and surprisingly poignant, sitting with you long after you finish reading.  While I'd consider "Babylon" the weakest story in the set, I'd also argue that all three are worth checking out.

Finally, I decided to wrap up this pre-summer reading session with a little-known "Daniel Webster" sequel: "Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent".  It's okay if you think I'm making this up.  I thought it was made-up when I first heard about it, too.  But, this story is a silly tale of a fateful fishing trip where Webster hooks a sea monster.  Definitely not nearly as serious as the first tale, but a fun one if you enjoy Benet's writing.

I think we'll wrap up our post here.  Below, you'll find links to all four stories.  And I hope you'll join me for the Summer Reading adventures in Road Trip Americana!

Check These Out:

• The Devil and Daniel Webster
• By the Waters of Babylon
• Johnny Pye and the Fool Killer
• Daniel Webster and the Sea Serpent

Summer Reading 2026

"Gentlemen!" I announce, walking into the library, "I've decided on my Summer Reading 2026 theme!"

My personal librarians turn around a little too quickly.  Ahmed drops the stack of botany books he's holding and a choking sound escapes Kilbronson's lips.  "You have?"

I'm as pleased as a prized heifer.  "Yes!  This year, in honor of America's 250th, we're doing to do Road Trip Americana!"

"And that means...?"

"That we're going on a road trip!"

"Wait...didn't we do Americana a few years ago?"

"Yeees...." I concede.  But, this time, we're going to do it bigger and we're going to do it again!  Besides,  2024 was more of a focus on tall tales and such.  This time, we're going to take a road trip of America, and we're going to pick up books and read folktales and learn about all the important sites and people and historical information and--"

Kilbronson holds up his hand.  "And last time, I went off to collect books for you all over the country and it didn't go as planned.  So, perhaps we should just stay put?"

I sigh.  "We'll workshop it.  But, for now, your assignment is to find me a list of some great books in various locations that we can go and visit.  I want to learn about everything.  Whaling in New England, cowboys out West, all the presidents, cryptids, everything."  I turn on my heel and walk out into the hallway.  "Gentlemen," I call back over my shoulder, "we start in May.  You have a few weeks to get me prepped.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!"

And I can hear them sigh as the door closes behind me.

Summer Reading 2025

Every year it's the same... I come up with a reading theme for the summer, read about five to ten books, and then forget about the topic and forget about posting my progress online.  So, this year, we're trying something different.  This year, I'm just focusing on ONE BOOK.  This year, we're reading Moby-Dick (again).  I've read it a couple of times before, and I've read pieces of it many more times than that.  This time, however, we're just going to read and worry about Moby-Dick.  It's going to be fun!

The Children's Library Tall Tales series

One of the benefits of this summer reading challenge is that it encourages me to check out books that I would never have stumbled upon before.  And that certainly was the case wtih this cute little series of tall tales by The Child's World.  I was just getting settled into my routine following Kilbronson's departure when Ahmed burst into the library and dumped this stack onto my desk.  I didn't realize it at the time, but he had brought me a series of little treasures.

Each book features a different "larger than life" figure from the tall tales, some who were real (although exaggerated) and some who were not.  As far as I can tell, the series contains eight volumes:

• Alfred Bulltop Stormalong
• Calamity Jane
• Casey Jones
• John Henry
• Johnny Appleseed
• Molly Pitcher
• Paul Bunyan
• Pecos Bill

And I read them all in one or two afternoons.  I had heard of all these characters before (with the exception of Molly Pitcher who was completely new to me).  I had also heard of Casey Jones and Calamity Jane, but I couldn't tell you a thing about them (until I read their books, that is!)  All in all, the series was delightful, and I think they are a great introduction for children.  

The Camping Trip that Changed America (Barb Rosenstock)

As Kilbronson and Ahmed gathered books for me to read for this year's summer reading selection, we had decided that we'd go on an adventure together, out into the American wilds, looking for new books to read.  But, I got sick, coming down with an early summer cold, and was confined to my rooms until further notice.

As Kilbronson and Ahmed brought me my latest book, a truly enjoyable picture book featuring the real-life meeting between Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, they offered their suggested plan: Since I was unable to go out, Kilbronson, who always fancied himself something of an explorer, would go in my stead, sending back books for me until I was well enough to join him.  Meanwhile, Ahmed would stay behind, as both my librarian and nursemaid, digging into my extensive personal collection for anything that might fit into the theme while I rested.  It seemed like a lovely idea.  And so, Kilbronson met up with a fur trader named DéFago and went off into the wilderness alone.

Ahmed and I, meanwhile, enjoyed Barb Rosenstock's wonderful book together.

Now, I've always been a fan of Theodore Roosevelt.  The man was larger than life and always looks so happy.  If I could meet any president and shake his hand, it would have been Teddy.  And reading about his love of the outdoors and how he created the national parks system only makes me love him more.

I've actually read this book before (this was my third time) and each reading has been a treat.  The story is that Roosevelt read a book by naturalist John Muir, and was so stirred by Muir's call to action that he wrote to him and asked for a camping excursion together.  The two had a wonderful time, and Muir taught Roosevelt (who was already an outdoorsman) all he needed to know about the beautiful wilderness that was currently in danger.  So, they established the national parks system.  It's a really cool read, beautifully illustrated, and a lot of fun.  My favorite part is when Roosevelt and Muir enjoy a campfire conversation before bed, and Muir shares how he attempted to scare off a bear.  No one gets hurt, but someone is certainly embarrassed.  It was a fun anecdote.

I'm asking Ahmed to find me some more books by John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt while we wait to see what Kilbronson will send back on his travels.

Tall Tales from Texas Cow Camps (Mody Coggin Boatright)

 

The best part about my Summer Reading Challenge is that it introduces me to titles that I would never have picked up otherwise.  Case in point, this little book: Tall Tales from Texas Cow Camps by Mody C. Boatright.  I found this by chance, searching for "tall tales" on Project Gutenberg.

The book is actually a collection of short stories. Each follows a team of cowhands, Joe, Red, Hank, and their greenhorn companion, Lanky.  Each night, as the group settles in for a well-deserved rest, Joe, Red, or Hank will start in with some sort of anecdote or interesting story, and the other two will attempt to outdo him with increasingly outlandish tales, all presented as though they were God's own truth.  Lanky, probably not much more than a boy himself, is a perfect stand-in for the reader, and we're all drawn deeper and deeper into crazy fun tales, like what happened to a man who had a rattlesnake bite his wooden leg, and of course, the wild tales of Pecos Bill.  

If you're looking for these sorts of stories (tall tales, really) or something featuring cowboys, the west, and good masculine fun, then this is a book that I'd certainly recommend.  It was a real quick read, too, and a lot of fun to sink my teeth into.  

Flapdoodle: Pure Nonsense From American Folklore (Alvin Schwartz)

We're starting our summer reading at the start of May this year, instead of waiting until Memorial Day, and I'm excited to announce our first read: Flapdoodle: Pure Nonsense from American Folklore by Alvin Schwartz.  This charming little book is one of my all-time favorites and has been since I was a little kid.

As a child, the folklore section of my local library was always my favorite place to be, and Flapdoodle was one of a handful of books that would check out again, and again, and again.  In fact, I used to fantasize that the librarian would stop me one day and say "You've checked this book out so many times.  You must love it!  Why don't you keep it?  It deserves a good home."  I'll be honest, I sometimes think that I was the only one keeping that book in circulation after a while.   But, it worked out well for me in the end.  I bought a copy online and not only was it in excellent condition, but it was signed by the author--something that was not communicated to me when I purchased it!  Imagine my surprise and delight when I first cracked open those covers and found Mr. Schwartz's John Hancock on the cover page!

Flapdoodle is a genuinely fun book full of poems, riddles, games, and funny stories.  And while I understand that modern children might not find it quite as clever as I did (considering that it doesn't have fart and butt jokes and TikTok trends), I still think it's well-worth a read.  I still recall showing it to a couple of my classmates that I ran into at the library, and the strange looks they gave me.  It was at that moment that I realized that while this book was certainly a hidden gem that I was very lucky to have found, it wasn't the sort of book that the average 6th grader was going to be chomping at the bit to read.  Which is a pity, since it's hilarious!

Announcing Summer Reading 2024!

"We have an idea for your summer reading theme!" Ahmed and Kilbronson say, nearly tripping over each other in their attempt to get to me first.  I look up from my Murdle game with what I can only describe as mild apprehension.

"You do."

They nod enthusiastically, and Ahmed spreads his hands, palms out, like he's drawing a rainbow: "Americana!"

"Americana?"

"Yes!" adds Kilbronson.  "Specifically the wild, untamed Americana!  The open plains!"

"Cowboys!"

"Teddy Roosevelt!"

"Bigfoot!"

"Little House on the Prairie!"

I close my laptop with a sigh.  I'm not going to finish my Murdle anytime soon.  "Well, it certainly sounds like you put a lot of thought into this," I say, slowly.  "And I'll be honest, I've been wanting to read more about Teddy Roosevelt..."

They nod in tandem.  Their smiles could not have been broader.

"Well, okay then," I say.  "Let's do it.  We have just over a month.  Let's get some books!"

Under the Pyramids (H.P. Lovecraft)

The other day, my assistants asked me if I had ready anything by H.P. Lovecraft before.  And I admitted that I had not.  So, Kilbronson and Ahmed laid this title on my desk--a literary mashup of Lovecraft and Harry Houdini--as in the famous magician, Harry Houdini.  How could I not get excited about that?

Um...

Under the Pyramids by H.P. Lovecraft has two distinctions to its name...first, this is my first foray into Lovecraft territory.  And second, I really hated this story.  I won't lie to you, dear readers.  This was not a good story.

Spoilers Ahead:

I mean, it started off pretty good.  Harry Houdini himself goes on vacation in Egypt, tries to stay incognito and ends up accidentally attracting too much attention when he tries to "show up" a lesser magician.  

The real meat and potatoes, however, occurs when Houdini acts as the "second" in a fight on a pyramid between his guide and another man--and learns that the whole thing was a setup to get him alone in the desert in the middle of the night so that he could be bound and gagged and tossed into a hole in the pyramid.  Apparently, the Egyptians felt that Houdini's tricks were somehow insulting to the ancient magic of their country.

I found Lovecraft's writing to be ridiculously edgy, and everything was like "oh no!  The world is a terrifying dark place full of great elder gods that existed before time and don't even care because we're so pathetically insignificant."  Bleah.  Count me unimpressed.  It wasn't scary, it was just weird, and not in a good way.

I'll be honest and say that I probably won't be reading anymore Lovecraft after this.  If you think I should give him another go, however, please feel free to comment your favorite stories and change my mind.

Lost in a Pyramid or the Mummy's Curse (Louisa May Alcott)

In order to help me find more books to fill my shelves, I hired two assistants--an Arabic Egyptian named Ahmed and a Londoner named Kilbronson.  Together, we hope to track down as many classic mummy stories as we can.  

Within a day, they had already brought me a goodish pile, and this one was towards the top of the list.  It's a little-known gem by Louisa May Alcott (you know, of Little Women fame?).  Now, I'll start this review my admitting that I'm not in love with this book cover.  But, that's the cover that Goodreads used, so that's the one that I'm going to use, too.

So, let's talk about this mummy chiller.  Finally, we have a mummy that's not completely sweet and charming!  Ironically, though, the mummy doesn't do too much on her own.  Of course, as always, there are spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk.

In this story, a man gives his girlfriend some seeds, telling her that he cannot share their origin, because that story is too terrible to recount.  She pushes back slightly and the man folds like a cheap suit and tells her everything.

And everything, in this context, is a story about he and his friend made a bunch of stupid decisions, got lost in a pyramid, and burned a mummy in order to create a smoke signal for their rescuers to follow.  Apparently, the mummy they burned was buried with a small box of seeds close to her breast, and of course, there's not only a curse on the seeds, there's a curse on her, too--because she's a sorceress.

If you're confused, it's okay.  So was I.  Two friends burn an Egyptian sorceress's mummy in order to create a smoke signal and bring about her wrath is not a usual story that you'd expect to find.  But, here's where it gets crazy.  The girlfriend suggests planting the sorceress's seeds.  In protest, her boyfriend throws them into the fire, only to reveal later that he had saved one of the seeds and had his friend plant it.  And the girlfriend reveals that she did the same thing.

Against all better judgement, friend and girlfriend decide to wear their flowers on their person, and the flower's deadly poison (a mummy's curse?) seeps into their skin and kills them.  Shock and horror abound!

I guess I'd have to admit that I saw the ending coming--after a point.  And while I enjoyed this story, it was too short to really sink my teeth into.  The biggest thing that stood out to me is the continual line of terrible decisions being made by all the characters involved.

Cheers to my assistants for starting things off with a bang.  I'll keep you all posted on the other titles they send my way.

Moby Dick Summer

 

As all my lovely readers know, my theme for summer reading is 100% going to be about mummies.  My summer reading themes, however, are only a portion of my summer reading--and I'll read other books in-between.  One of those "other" books this year is Moby-Dick.

Last year, I tried reading along with the Substack, Moby Dick Summer.  I had a great time, but came in a bit late, so it was a constant game of "catch up" for me.  I really enjoyed the book, though, which is surprising, since I had tried to read it multiple times before and hated it.  In the end, it got me through some very difficult times and I'm very excited to read it again.

I hope you'll join me!

The Mummy's Foot (Théophile Gautier)

Let's set the scene for my summer reading!  As you all know, I'm a librarian, and as a librarian, I naturally have a large personal collection of books to dip into.   But, that being said, I also have to get a lot of my books and sources sourced from somewhere else.  Which is why I have been sending away for story after story.  I'll share my updates here.

First up, we have the story "The Mummy's Foot" by Gautier.  And I'll be honest--I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to get myself into with a story with a name like that. I had a pretty basic idea, having read the description online, but it was certainly a weird, weird story.

Our narrator visits a curio shop to pick up a paperweight, and decides while he's there, to purchase the mummified foot of Princess Hermonthis for just such a purpose. But, when he brings the foot home (after going into excruciating detail about every square inch of it) he is awakened in the middle of the night by the princess herself, searching for the missing limb.

As far as horror stories go, this wasn't really that scary. In fact, if it wasn't so weird, I'd say it was cute. Hermonthis, like Allamistakeo in "Some Words with a Mummy" is delightful, well-spoken, and surprisingly nice. The narrator is a bit dippy, but the story as a whole was pretty amusing.

So far, I'm two mummy stories in, and we've yet to have a real dastardly, dangerous one. I guess that bodes well for the rest of the summer, although I must admit that I'm far from being scared.

Some Words with a Mummy (Edgar Allan Poe)

I'd like to offer a Summer Reading preview with one of the titles that inspired this idea.  I've read this short story by Poe before, but I thought it would be fun for a reread.

Our unnamed narrator is awakened in the middle of the night by a friend of his who wants him to come and see the mummy that he is going to unwrap that night.  As he tells us this story, the narrator admits that he's not sure if it was real or a dream brought on by eating too much Welsh rabbit.  Either way, we know we're in for a wild ride.

I guess it should go without saying, but please bear in mind that there might be some spoilers ahead.  Thanks!

The unwrapping party is a little different than one might expect, since after the bindings are removed, the group notices that this mummy is not prepared in the traditional way.  He appears to have glass eyes, and his internal organs have not been removed.  Someone has the bright idea to shock the corpse with a battery and see what happens.  Well, what happens is that he comes to life!

So, the first thing that makes our mummy, Allamistakeo stand out is that he's not the sort of violent, deadly terror one comes to expect from a fictional mummy.  In fact, apart from one scene where he quite literally kicks someone out the window (surprisingly, no one was hurt), he's pretty docile.

Rather than being upset and confused about being awakened from his eternal slumber, Allamistakeo reveals that he was part of a special sect of Egyptians who are mummified in a special way, in order that they could be revived in the future to share history and other information with future generations.  This leads to a lively discussion between the gathered friends and Allamistakeo about religion, technology, and other things.

To rate this mummy, I'd say that he was charming and not at all scary.  Bonus points for being incredibly strong and smart.  A mummy that I would not mind meeting.

I would like to point out as a final aside, that the narrator's comments about too much grilled cheese and beer (and even the mummy's name, All-a-mistake-o) points to this being a pretty vivid dream.  A delightful story all the way through, and a pleasantly witty one from the master of the macabre.

A Summer Reading Prelude

We've still got a little ways to go until Memorial Day, but I was already getting excited about my topic, so I picked up a few books with mummy themes to get "wrapped up in".   These aren't exactly the types of books I was planning on sampling for Summer Reading, so they fit in very nicely as part of the prelude.

First, we have The Mummy by Kenny Abdo.  This book was really simplified for younger readers, almost to the point where I didn't see there being a point, if you know what I mean.  I finished, sort of scratching my head.  If the topic is too scary for younger readers, perhaps it shouldn't be a book, instead of simplifying the book until all the scary bits are taken out.

We did much better, however with What is the Story of the Mummy? by Sheila Keenan.  This book was very similar in concept, but actually shared the story of the first Mummy movie, plus facts about mummies themselves, how they are created, and the different types of mummies.  Plus, it touched on some of the Mummy sequel films, and even included the later iterations, such as the series with Brendan Frasier and the newest one with Tom Cruise.

Finally, let's wrap up this list with something a little more light-hearted.  When I was a kid, I went through a major "joke books phase."  (Does that happen to everyone or was that just me?)  Anyway, I would constantly raid the shelves of anything related to jokes or riddles.  I couldn't get enough! 

What I'm getting at is that the last book on my list was actually one of those books!  Mummy Riddles (Katy Hall) looked super familiar when I saw it in the library catalogue, and low and behold, I definitely remembered it as I started to flip through the pages.  I totally read this book when I was a kid!  It was published in 1997, meaning it was probably pretty new when I first got my grubby little hands on it.  I'm sure you can imagine what a delightful surprise it was!

The jokes are just as corny as you would imagine they'd be, and while I wasn't rolling in the aisles, I definitely got a few chuckles out of this collection.  Of the three titles here, I think this was the one that I enjoyed the most, although whether it was because of nostalgia or genuinely good writing and illustration is hard to say.

I have a couple other mummy short stories I might poke at before the summer reading challenge officially starts, just to keep the hype going.  We'll see.  Either way, keep tuned in to this page, and I hope I'll have a little more for you in the coming weeks!  Happy Reading!