One of the books I remember the best from my growing up years is “The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald.” Alvin is a boy with a brain so magnificent, it sometimes surprises even him. The inventions he comes up with are truly out of this world, such as the alarm clock which wakes up soundlessly by pulling a string on his toe. (He delivers the newspaper, and he gets up early enough that he doesn’t want to wake up the rest of his family with a loud clock.) He invented a Sure Shot Paper Slinger to help him get those … Continue reading →

From the author of “Captain Underpants” comes another series with just as much fun and zany action but a lot less underwear – Ricky Ricotta! With a name that’s a double pun (Ricotta’s a kind of cheese, and he’s a mouse, plus don’t forget Desi Arnaz’s character in “I Love Lucy” – he played Ricky Richardo) this little mouse is destined to be our next hero, along with his giant robot friend. It all begins in a mouse town called Squeakyville. Ricky lives there with his mother and father, and while he’s content, he wishes he had a real friend. … Continue reading →