Magic by the Lake

Written by: Edward Eager

First line: It was Martha who saw the lake first.

Why you should read this book: It's a sequel to the delightful Half Magic, in which the children inadvertently order an entire lake full of magic, really too much magic for them to handle. Although this time around they have the privilege of setting their own magical rules, they immediately and willfully set about to breaking the rules, digging themselves into deeper and deeper difficulties with their own selfish behaviors. Eventually, though, they start to pay attention to reality and turn their magical intentions to helping someone else. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It simply isn't as entertaining as the first, lacking the cohesive logic of the original plot, which turned on the children figuring out the rules of magic and cleaning up their own mistakes. Also, this book, as an unfortunate product of its day, relies heavily in places on racist stereotypes; I originally intended to donate it to the children's library where I volunteer, but these dated and xenophobic ideals don't really belong in a modern library. 

The Dangerous Alphabet

Written by: Neil Gaiman and Chris Grimly

First line: A is for Always, that's where we embark.

Why you should read this book: I don't know if it's the most gruesome alphabet book ever written, illustrated, and distributed, but it definitely takes a note from the Ghashlycrumb Tinies. Horrid and evil things happen to a pair of vaguely Victorian children as they travel through a sewer infested with monsters and cannibal pirates and the letters of the alphabet, A to Z. Just about what you'd expect from Neil Gaiman's alphabet book.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Most kids can handle this sort of thing, but some grownups might be overwhelmed by the morbidity.

Rosie's Magic Horse

Written by: Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake

First line: There was an ice-pop stick with ice-cold sweetness all around it, white on the outside, pink on the inside.

Why you should read this book: From two long-time great names in picture books comes a piece of delicious nonsense full of wishes, popsicle sticks, magic, travel, and treasure. Little Rosie, while idly toying with her collection of wooden sticks, wishes she could help her parents pay the bills, while the wooden sticks, for undisclosed reasons, wish to be a horse. Together, Rosie and a horse called Stickerino go on a journey to fulfill all their dreams.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't allow your children to pick trash up off the ground.

The Ballad of the Pirate Queens

Author: Jane Yolen

First line: The autumn seas are dark and deep In Port Maria Bay: The tunney fish all leap and sport Around the bustling cay.

Why you should read this book: Based on the very true story of female pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, this tale of adventure, betrayal, and women in men's clothing relates the last days of the pirate ship, Vanity, which was taken down by the governor's ship, Albion. While the ten men of the crew gamble and drink below deck, the two women valiantly try to fight off the invaders, and while history is not completely agreed on the fate of the women, this story ends on a high note, with the two "pleading their bellies" and being spared the gallows for the sake of the pirates' children they will bear. Lush painted illustrations by David Shannon bring the world of the eighteenth century to life, with both light and dark moments.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're sailing off the coast of Somalia.

Davy Jones' Haunted Locker: Great Ghost Stories of the Sea

Editor: Robert Arthur

First line: A few months ago, as I was working on this book, two ships collided in the fog outside New York Harbor.

Why you should read this book: Sea monsters, ghost ships, hidden treasure, and creeping monsters haunt the pages of this well-rounded collection of spooky stories of ship wrecks, pirates, damned vessels, and courageous sailors. Stories like "The Stone Ship" and "Fire in the Galley Stove" create a sense of horror completely within the realm of possibility, while other pieces drag the willing reader through magical realms. The tale of the Flying Dutchman is represented in two stories, while Davy Jones himself comes to life in an imaginative piece written by the collection's editor, and a number of nautical poems fill in the gaps.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get seasick.

Scurvy Goonda

Author: Chris McCoy

First line: On a black night, beneath a canopy of dense trees determines to prevent the moon from illuminating his route, Ted Merritt furiously pedaled his bike to his summer job at the local Stop to Shop supermarket.

Why you should read this book: In a really imaginative take on the kingdom of the imagination, this book posits the origins and conclusions of "abstract companions" or ab-coms, the really real imaginary friends of the world's children. At fourteen, Ted Merritt realizes that the bacon-eating pirate who follows him everywhere may be negatively impacting his social life, but when he agrees to let a psychiatrist cure him of his ab-com, Scurvy Goonda, he unearths a plot that threatens the very existence of creativity in human children along with the fate of a world he never expected. Along with a flawless ballerina, a talking Narwhal, an Olympic-medal wearing hamster, and an army of made-up creatures, Ted and Scurvy must outwit a giant, arrogant parrot skeleton in an endlessly inventive fantasy story.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are a programmer of violent, first-person shooter games or a publisher mindless celebrity tabloids.

Pippi in the South Seas

Author: Astrid Lindgren

First line: The little Swedish town was very picturesque, with its cobblestone streets, its tiny houses and the gardens that surrounded them.

Why you should read this book: Pippi's back, and her irrepressible charm and joie de vivre cannot be mitigated. Following some of her typical antics (lying to property investors, perplexing adults, undermining the natural order), she receives a letter from her beloved papa, King Ephraim I Longstocking, demanding her presence on his island in the south seas. Along with her companions Tommy and Annika, Pippi charms the native children, fights sharks, and foils a pair of incompetent criminals before returning safe and sound to Villa Villekulla.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You expect children to be seen and not heard, and to obey without question.

Pippi Longstocking

Author: Astrid Lindgren

First line: On the outskirts of a tiny little town was a neglected garden.

Why you should read this book: For over sixty years, children have delighted in the antics of the independent redhead who wears mismatched stockings, throws policemen off her porch before lifting her horse onto it, and keeps a monkey for a companion. Whether grown-ups are failing to throw her out of school, the circus, or an elegant coffee party, the boundless optimism of a little girl raised by pirates at sea offers the perfect antidote to the rigid world of rules and inhibition. This link goes to a newly translated edition that feature delightful new illustrations that toy with language just as Pippi does and bring an updated look to a classic text.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You consider instructional manuals, moral tales, and the occasional bible story acceptable forms of children's literature

Don't Mention Pirates

Author: Sarah McConnell

First line: Scarlet Silver had a secret that nobody could guess:

Why you should read this book: Despite descending from a line of pirates and living in a boat (planted firmly in dry land), Scarlet and her brother are forbidden from discussing pirates, on account of the terrible accident that befell their grandmother, Long Joan Silver, during an encounter with a giant shrimp. Still, Scarlet is attracted to all things piratical, most particularly treasure hunting, and when she strikes gold, the family forgets their long-held taboos and fall back into the pattern of doing what pirates do best. A crowd-pleasing tale.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Recent maritime disasters haunt your family.

The Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore

First line: Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach.

Why you should read this book: Quite possibly the finest and most influential graphic novel of all time, Alan Moore's masterpiece asks the questions, "What does it take to save humanity from itself, and who among us possesses the inhumanity to take action?" After its original publication, this book turned the industry upside-down with its tale of costumed superheroes and impending armageddon in world very much like our own. Spanning decades and generations, it is a story of love and determination, of men and women driven by compulsions larger than themselves, of fear and uncertainty, and of the self-determination required to believe the truth in a world shrouded in lies.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're reading Action Comics number one with a pair of tweezers and acid-free latex gloves.

Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl's Adventure upon the High Seas

Author: Tanith Lee

First line: One day when she was sixteen, Art remembered her mother.

Why you should read this book: After a nasty fall down the stairs at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens, Miss Artemesia Fitz-Willoughby Weatherhouse recovers repressed memories of her mother, Piratica, and escapes through the chimney to seek her fortune as Art Blastside, pistol proof Pirate Queen.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you don't like piracy or the theater, you're not going to find much here.