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Milo is bored. He is bored at school. He is bored at home—until a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room. Author Norton Juster fills The Phantom Tollbooth with clever wordplay and whimsical characters like Tock, the watchdog (literally), and the Spelling Bee, S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g B-e-e. You find this book “Beyond Expectations.”

My youngest son is losing teeth right and left. It reminds Zuno of Robert McCloskey’s One Morning in Maine. Go clamdigging with Zuno and Sal and see the seagulls, loons, and seals of Maine. When Sal loses a tooth, she makes a wish. Can you guess what it is?

Covert Operations: Part 3 Today, I’ll brief you on the final covert op in Matthew 6. Feel free to glance back at the last two Cross Training entries for Parts 1 & 2. “ ‘ When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are…

It was his birthday present—“á small white metal cupboard with a mirror in the door, the kind you see over the basin in old-fashioned bathrooms.” In Lynne Reid Banks’s Indian in the Cupboard, Omri discovers that while his new birthday gift may look ordinary, it holds extraordinary power. The cupboard brings his plastic toys, cowboys,…

Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire have authored and illustrated numerous biographies for children. Zuno has chosen a playful princess with the D’Aulaires’ Pocahontas. Other books include, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Columbus, George Washington, and Leif the Lucky.

Covert Operations: Part 2 Last week, we talked about the military’s special forces and their covert operations. We discovered God has some covert ops for us too. How was your first covert mission? Are you ready for another assignment? If you are just joining us, look back at last week’s Cross Training: Covert Operations: Part…

If you thought Willy Wonka crafted some cool candy, you’ll be amazed at what Mrs. White can do. However, her magical candy comes at a price. Fablehaven author, Brandon Mull, treats us to a deliciously dangerous mystery in The Candy Shop War. Four friends are caught in the crossfire of a war between magicians as…

A hamburger storm with a hot dog front is coming in from the northwest. Zuno dreams of such a weather change. He has chosen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett, this book chronicles the happenings of the city of Chewandswallow. In Chewandswallow, the forecast serves as…

Covert Operations: Part 1 We love the military. We have been fortunate to know Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Stealth Fighter pilots, and many more who faithfully serve our country. They have a big cool factor, but often model a humble spirit. Their work is classified and they specialize in covert operations. God calls us to…

Among the Hidden steps forward as the first book of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s the Shadow Children sequence. In a future society that permits only two children per family, Luke is a third. Confined to the house, he lives the life of the hidden only to discover he is not alone. Will Luke join the other…