I have another suggestion for a great book. I ran into a book by James A. Owen a few months back, and just got the sequel. I'll let you know about the second book, The Search for the Red Dragon. But the first book was incredible. Here is a link for:
Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)
http://www.amazon.com/There-Dragons...mp;s=books&qid=1219674645&sr=1-5The beginning starts out a smidgen scary, with a character getting murdered, so you may want to preview it for younger kids. It is based on the idea that there exists a book of maps that can take you to imaginary literary worlds. (the book of maps, the Imaginarium Geographica, and its caretakers are the stars of the book... great for kids who love maps!) It takes all of the great novels from the past (from Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Jules Verne, Sir Conan Arthur Doyle, etc.) and weaves them into one story. So you have Captain Nemo aiding the caretakers of the map as they race off to 221 Baker Street to translate elfish clues to solve the riddle before the evil character gets the one ring of power. Oh yes, and there are dragons too. How can you beat that? The kids like the adventure, and the parents love the literary references. Really very good stuff. (you can read the reviews on Amazon for a much better idea of the book than I have had time to write.)
