The Magic of Books

Somebody once asked me what's the best Christmas gift i ever received. Without missing a beat, i told her "The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle". Not only did it introduce me to the great Sherlock Holmes, but that was the one book that changed my life because it nurtured in me a love for the written word. Thanks to that masterpiece, I discovered colorful characters that had me giddily transported to a world of madness, mystery and mayhem. My mother, had she known I'd received that gift , would have pointedly disapproved. I was six.
   Okay, there are a whole lot of great Christmas gifts for kids out there - coloring books, legos, musical instruments, all kinds of mechanical and high tech toys - but in my book, nothing beats books. So should you be of the same feeling, allow me to share with you a number of good books that you may want to get for the wonderful kinds in your life.


Classics:

Charlotte's Web
by E.B White
   One of the greatest children's classics. This is an ideal gift for kids five years and older. "Charlotte's Web" revolves around a pig name Wilbur and the extraordinary friendship he develops with a spider named Charlotte. This is a good way to teach a child about the real nature of friendship, not merely its rewards but also its sacrifices. This is one book, however, that a five-year old child must read with a grown-up lst the notion of having Wilbur for Christmas (as ham) scare him.

A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
   I was 12 the first time I read "A Little Princess." There's something about lead character Sara Crewe's adventures and experiences that resonated in me. I have thus made it a point to read it over and over again. Almost every December, in fact. Sara, who lost her mother, is brought by her war-bound father to a boarding school owned by the evil Miss Minchin. At first, Miss Minchin is gentle with her because of Sara's wealth.
But the other girls got jealous of her. Her only real friend is a little lass called Ermengarde. She also befriend the young maid Becky. When Sara's father goes missing-in-action and was presumed dead, his assets were seized and Miss Minchin shows just how spiteful and terribly she really is. But young sara perseveres and triumphs in the end... complete with some very good friends and her loving father - who turns out not to have been deceased - beside her.

The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
   Perhaps no other literary opus has so captured the imagination of the world than C.S. Lewis' epic novel,
"The Chronicles of Narnia." There are a total of seven books in the series: "The lion, the witch and the Wardrobe," "Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia," "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," "The Silver Chair," "The Horse and his Boy," "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Last Battle".
The books, which feature children as main protagonists, explore multitudes of classic Christian themes coupled with Greco-Roman mythologies. Kids naturally love the talking animals, the enterprising youngsters and the oh-so-real realm of Narnia.


Adventure Series

Harry Potter series
by JK Rowling
A young orphan boy, abused and mistreated by his own kin, discovers that he is the son of talented wizards. Soon he finds himself transported to the wizarding school of Hogwarts where he learns the truth about his parents and their deaths at the hands of "He who must not be named"...Voldemort. The saga follows Harry, his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and a whole cast of colorful characters that any kid is bound to love or hate, but will definitely remember. The Harry Potter series is composed of seven books: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."



Modern Must-reads

Holes
by Louis Sachar
   I love this book. For one, you have a central character that is not a classic, hero type in the strictest sense of the word. The protagonist, Stanley Yelnats is actually kind of a weak individual. He's a misfit who feels like his life is cursed - a notion that is not exactly unfounded. Anybody who has found himself in a tight spot can easily relate to Stanley.
   The beauty of this Sachar opus, which won the 1999 Newberry Award, lies in the richness and vividness of the characters that populate Stanley's dry, desolate world. As you're reading this book, you will feel like you know some kid who's the same as one of the characters. Zero, one of the characters actually reminded me a friend way back kindergarten. "Holes" was made into a film in 2003 with then Disney's Even-Steven Shia LaBeaouf as Stanley.

Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
   Another Newberry Award Winner, "Hoot" follows young transferee Roy Eberhardt as he uncovers the mystery behind the young, shoeless boy, Mullet Fingers, and the bizarre disturbances at the construction site of Mother Paula's Pancake House. Hiaasen's dry wit and slapstick sense of humor make "Hoot" such a hoot to read! Young adults who enjoy having their imaginations and intelligence teased will surely love this one.


Worth considering for Adolescents:
The Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer (for 15 year olds and up); HUnger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (for 16 year olds and up).

Books have the gift of eliciting imagery within the human mind like no other medium can, choose from a wide variety of books to give to your child as gifts, and it will surely set them up for a bright future!