I was sad to see that a great author, Eva Ibbotson, died today at 85 years old. She is the author of two favorite books of mine, Island of the Aunts and The Star of Kazan. I also know quite a few readers, including my daughter Kennedy, who name Journey to the River Sea as a favorite. We have many more of her books, as well as some books to listen to on CD.

Island of the Aunts has one of my favorite openings of any book: "Kidnapping children is not a good idea. All the same, sometimes it has to be done." This is a like Roald-Dahl-but-nicer story that has a great message, interesting characters, is suspenseful AND, best of all, has a kraken in it.