The Plant that Ate Dirty Sock by Nancy McArthur JFIC

Think owning a plant is boring? Think again! Norman and Michael, two brothers, send away for seeds in the mail. They keep the plants on a steady diet of plant food, water, and scraps of junk food. As the plants grow bigger and bigger, Michael discovers that his dirty socks keep disappearing. Are the plants responsible? How will their parents take it? Did the plant just try to talk? Found out the answers to all these questions and more in this funny science fiction book.

Food for Thought: Would you ever think of a plant as a pet? Would you want one that ate socks? How do you think people would react if they knew?

Dealing with Dragons Book One of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede JFIC

“No proper princess would come out looking for dragons,” Woraug objected. “Well, I’m not a proper princess then,” Cimorene snapped. “I make cherries jubilee, and I volunteer for dragons, and I conjugate Latin verbs- or at least I would if anyone would let me. So there!” (19) Sixteen year old Cimorene, Princess of Linderwall, was not your typical princess. She would sneak around the castle learning fencing, magic, cooking and Latin. Her father the King thwarted her every attempt at not being boring. Forced into an arranged marriage and etiquette classes, Cimorene volunteers to be a dragon’s captive. As she wards off knights trying to rescue her, wizards, and angry fire breathing dragons, she finds herself quite adjusted to dragon life. Cimorene is a very strong willed and resilient character. Her cleverness, not to mention etiquette skills, come in handy many times in the story. She will make the readers glad that she is not a typical boring princess. Although it was a fantasy, it wasn’t very caught up in extensive details of setting and history. I recommend this book for people who want to read a light humorous fantasy.

Food for Thought: What is one thing that you have always wanted to but have not tried yet? What would you do if you weren't allowed to do it like Princess Cimorene?