GET YOUR SLEUTH GAME ON! By Yvonne Saxon

Are you and your mystery-loving friends looking for a fun way to challenge your investigative skills? Want to solve a murder without leaving the comforts of home? Or maybe you secretly desire to be the villain every now and then—without committing a crime of course! Why not gather one or more likeminded friends around a tabletop board game and find out which one of you is the best detective? (Or villain, as the case may be!)

 ** For the Victorian sleuth in you **

1. Mysterium by Asmodee is a great group game where players work together to figure out who committed the murder at Warwick Manor, a haunted mansion full of ghosts. Can you and your friends beat the clock to solve the murder while ghosts send messages that may help or hinder you?

2. Also by Asmodee, in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, you can step back in time to help Scotland Yard solve ten cases that get

THE INFLUENCE OF BOOKS by Teresa Inge

Like many kids of my generation, I read the most popular children's books that introduced me to delightful new characters, historical events, and stories that would come to stand the test of time. From simple narrative and watercolor illustrations to expanding my world and imagination, many books of my childhood managed to invoke good reading habits and a lifelong passion for immersing myself in a good book. 

Some of those books included Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Are You My Mother? and Babar. Babar had an influence on my reading development and imagination due to his adventures of living in civilization and survival in the jungle. I’ve owned a Babar stuffed animal for many years.