Friday, November 22, 2013

Top 5 Kids books

5.Endless Quests books
I had at least 9 of these books when I was a kid. They were the TSR/Dungeons and Dragons versions of the mega popular choose your own adventure books. By the time I was 8 I had started playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons with some friends. So having a game-book version of it was right up my alley.

4.Thirteen ways to sink a sub
I got this book from the school book fair when I was in 4th or 5th grade. The plot is simple. The 4th grade class has their first substitute. So they plan on making her cry. I must have read this book 2 or 3 times a year for years. There is at least 3 more books in this series.

3.Monster of the year
Another book I got from the book fair. The cover grabbed my eye. 2 kids get a billboard for their birthdays. So they make a mock ad for a Monster of the Year contest. Then all kinds of classic monsters start showing up. It is another I read over and over and over. I am tempted to track down a copy.

2.Choose your own Adventure books
When I was in elementary school the CYOA books were hot. Everyone read them. I had over 40 of them back then. I ended up giving them all away. Which I regret now. So any time I see used books I look for CYOA books. And got about 20 of them now.  CYOA are game-books like the Endless Quests novels. But CYOA are known for having some great endings. Most of the books had maybe 2 good endings and the rest were all bad. You would end up dying in graphic ways.

1.The Thief of Always
Now this novel I didn't read as a kid. Because it didn't get published until I was in my 20s. When I heard about it I was wondering "What the fuck a kids book written by Clive Barker." And the book turns out to be as twisted as you would expect a kids novel written by Mr Barker to be. A young boy runs away. And discovers this house that is paradise for a kid. For years now I have heard that the novel is being made into a film. But so far nothing has come out of that.