Barron’s is a publisher of educational and self-help books.  The little book “Cats” is an excellent example of what this publisher can do.  Interestingly, the book was first published in German in 1998 and later translated into English in 1999 for the American market. The well-written text and the beautiful color pictures show a real respect and appreciation for the topic being dealt with – cats.  At $6.95 the price is right.  With several books about cats to choose from at the bookstore, this is the one that catches your eye. 

The book has brief descriptions of the characteristics and color photos of a number of the major breeds of housecats popular today.  Just about every pertinent topic is covered, including choosing the right kitten from the litter, toilet training, dealing with undesirable habits, care and feeding, car travel, and acclimating your cat to other pets. 

This is not expressly a kid’s book. It has an adult tone and uses the technical vocabulary appropriate to the topic.  Nevertheless, most kids would find it irresistible.

If you are thinking about acquiring a cat for your home, this is a great book to read through along with your child beforehand.  If you already have a cat in the household, this is a great book for helping your child to better respect and appreciate the family pet. It might just motivate him or her into helping out more with the cat’s care.  As a bonus, if you are a real cat lover yourself, you’re likely to enjoy the book. 
 
 

I would guess that many adults would be surprised to find out that Nancy Drew books are still being published.  Nancy Drew, along with the Hardy Boys and the Tom Swift series, were popular during the Great Depression.  Apparently, publishers aren’t about to let go of a good thing.  “Nancy Drew: The Secret in the Stars,” is number 154 in the list of Nancy Drew titles.

The Nancy Drew of the year 2000 is quite a different girl from the Nancy Drew of the 1930’s.  She’s not 80 or 90 years old, of course.  But she is 18, dating a college boy, and driving a Mustang convertible.  She is still a young woman who has a great curiosity and a drive to solve mysteries. She has had martial arts training and can take care of herself.  She is an assertive young woman very much of the 21st century. 

As a parent, you might be relieved to find out Nancy Drew’s behavior is in many ways much more the norm of the 1930’s than the post sexual revolution days of 2000.  She is respectful and courteous to older adults, a loyal friend to her companions, and, apparently, never has a catty thought or makes a nasty comment to anyone.

“The Secret of the Stars” showcases Nancy Drew’s many good qualities in a plot that’s very much a 21st century one. It involves the young reader in astronomy without ever appearing to be anything more than an adventure and mystery story. Probably, the stories would appeal to girls more in the 11 to 13 year age range, rather than to the 8 to 10 range.  The publisher reports the readability as 6th grade. 
 
 

“Replica: The Beginning” is number 14 in a series of science fiction books written for middle school girls.  The heroine in the series is twelve-year-old Amy, who knows she is a clone created in a science laboratory in Washington, D.C. The government-funded secret project had been discontinued, but twelve clones, identical to Amy, had disappeared around the country.  Amy had ended up in California, the much-loved and well-adjusted foster daughter of one of the female scientists who had worked in the project. 

The suspense and conflict in the stories is related to the fact that there are uncaring and unscrupulous scientists who know about the project and, even years later, want to exploit the young girls for their own career advantage.  Amy and her counterparts are girls who are exceptionally intelligent and physically stronger than most girls of their age.  In Amy’s case, she is a modest and unassuming young girl who has high principles and always tries to do the right thing.

We have, then, a series of paperback books aimed at intermediate grade girls.  The books have a science-based flavor and a heroine who is not only super smart and super strong, but is super good, along with her other assets.  She loves and obeys her foster mother, is courteous and respectful to adults, and is well liked by her middle-school peers.  She copes very well with the trials and tests that occur regularly in her adventure-filled life.  As a parent, what more could you ask from the books your daughter chooses as part of her recreational reading?  Show me a TV series that even comes close. 
 
 

“The Maze,” written by Will Hobbs and published by Avon Books in paperback in 1998, is an exceptionally realistic adventure novel for boys.  Its main character is a kid in trouble that some people would write-off as a bad boy.  This kid happens to fall in with a reclusive environmentalist who can remember the hard times he had while growing up. Without being obvious about it, the story line shows how the two end up helping each other become more complete human beings. 

“The Maze” has an absorbing plot that keeps a reader involved as the main character goes from one problem to another.  With events that involve releasing young condors into the wild and hang gliding off cliffs in the wilds of Utah, you would think that the story verges on fantasy.  Symbolism is not lacking, either.  The maze represents not only the canyons in which the action takes place, but the complexities in the main character’s life.  The soaring condors and the hang gliders riding the thermals represent the young character’s trying to break free of the entanglements that seem to keep him down in life.

But with all the near fantasy and the symbolism, the novel includes a kind of nitty-gritty realism that would have strong appeal for a young male reader. The harsh environment and the physical challenges that the story figures have to confront mask the near-sentimentality of the novel.

“The Mask” is certainly a novel that any parent should be pleased to see his or her son read and enjoy.  It should appeal to that adult who wants to share a good read in common with a pre-teen or young teen-ager.