James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl is definitely one of the world's best storyteller. James and the Giant Peach, is beautifully written, beautifully illustrated , fantastic book [Christian Science Monitor].

The story is about a boy names James. After losing his parents at an early age, he was forced to live with his two horrible aunts. He was utterly miserable, until one strange thing happened.

This book is not only entertaining, but also educational. It also tells us some scientific facts about insects in our garden and how they help the environment. James and the Giant Peach is a good book that even adults would enjoy.

Favorite quote:

"Marvelous things will start happening to you . . . and you will never be miserable again in your life."

How They Met and Other Stories

David Levithan's stories about love will redefine your preconceived notion of what love should be. Love breaks barriers of gender, age, social status, and race. Deep inside, however different we may be, we are all the same.

Favorite quotes:

"You think people are afraid with two boys in love? To hell with that! What people are really afraid of is two boys screwing." 

"Sometimes, you need to be bullied by the truth."

"We'd said we'd keep in touch. But touch is not something you can do from a distance. Touch is not something you can keep; as soon as it's gone, it's gone. We should have said we'd keep in words, because they are all we can string between us - words on a telephone line, words appearing on a screen. But they cause more complications than clarity."

"We listen to songs to figure them out, to unravel the mystery of the words and the tune. I am writing in order to unravel myself, to find out what exactly I'm doing, and why."

"This is what a song can do. Our moments are music, and sometimes - just sometimes - we can catch them and put them into some lasting form. If I didn't have music, I don't know if I could ever be truly happy, and if I didn't have these moments, I would never find music. It is everywhere, in the air between us, waiting to be sung."

The Barefoot Book of Princesses

The Barefoot Book of Princesses is a collection of princess stories not just for little girls, but also for adults alike. It comes with an audio CD which is a very good companion for those who are just beginners in the English language. This book is beautifully told and presented. Caitlin Matthews, the audio talent, is such a dynamic storyteller who could easily make you imagine pictures through her melodious voice.

The audio book contains seven tracks:
1) The Princess and the Pea
2) The Mountain Princess
3) The Princess who Lost her Hair
4) The Bird-Cage Husband
5) The Beggar Princess
6) The Horned Snake's Wife
7) The Sleeping Beauty

Favorite Passage:

"The world is wide and there are many strange things in it. Best be content with simple things."

Manga Messiah

This is actually the first book of the Manga Bible series which was published in 2006. This book showed the life and death of Jesus Christ. He is the realization of Isaiah's prophecy from the old testament.

The illustrations about his numerous miracles, his parables and his death and resurrection could be easily understood by children. This is a very good Bible adaptation for children. Hopefully, this book would be able to help people understand the glory of God.