Tag Archives: 1961

Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary (1961)

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Our final Cousin’s Book Club read for 2025, Emily’s Runaway Imagination is reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking (1950) and Thimble Summer (1938), both great books about young girls and their small-town adventures. Continue reading

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The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1961)

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I consider this coming-of-age novel one of the most influential in my life. Set in 1st century Israel, The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Spear (1961) won the 1962 Newberry Medal, and it’s no surprise why. Continue reading

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The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford (1961)

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Our international move two months ago has impacted our family. My son (13), for example, doesn’t understand why we had to move here and still makes random comments that he wishes we could move back to the States—with humor, of … Continue reading

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Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper (1961)

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My brother is the only guy I know who truly enjoys reading old science-fiction novels. You’ll never catch him with anything more modern than the 1980s, but the pre-moon era—when space was still a mystery and oxygen-filled planets peopled by … Continue reading

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Among the Savage Redskins of the Amazon by Harold Wildish (1961)

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And the award for the most offensive book title goes to… Harold Wildish felt called to the ministry in 1922 (nearly a century before wokeness, mind you), leaving behind his passions for both cricket and football (the un-American kind). The … Continue reading

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James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1961)

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As I continue my Roald Dahl kick, I’m also inviting my children along for the ride. In fact, they’ve asked for more fiction from him, ever since I read to them the short story “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” … Continue reading

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The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (1961)

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My family just finished listening to this book on audio, and what a trip! The story is that of young Milo, a bored, unmotivated, lazy, lackluster student who dislikes school and just about everything. One day, a tollbooth appears in … Continue reading

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The Black Shrike by Alistair MacLean (1961)

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A.k.a. The Dark Crusader I’m kind of a sucker for Cold-War era adventure novels, so I wasn’t surprised that a whole shelf of Alistair MacLean titles caught my eye one day in a thrift store. I purchased two to try, figuring … Continue reading

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Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut (1961)

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“We are what we want to be, and so we must be careful what we pretend to be.” (Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut, 1961) This strangely normal tale from the otherwise oddball-idea author, Kurt Vonnegut, is the recorded memories of … Continue reading

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The Haunted Monastery by Robert Van Gulik (1961)

Taoism has many elevated thoughts; it teaches us to requite good with good, and bad also with good. But the instruction to requite bad with good belongs to a better age than we are living in now, Tao Gan! It’s … Continue reading

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