The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones - why didn't they write books like that when I was a kid?

I feel pretty certain that learning wasn't meant to be fun when I was a kid.

Ugh -- how children are coddled today!

I just KNOW that a whole generation of kids -- especially boys -- are going to know a heck of a lot more than their parents ever forgot about American history because of this one book. The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones is Holes with a whole lot of meat. That takes nothing away from Holes -- I loved the book and the movie!

There's a special promotion going on in a few select parts of the country in which history and English teachers are getting a leg up on teaching the facts by assigning this as 2008 summer reading. Then the award-winning author, Helen Hemphill is going to spend some time with these classes in the fall, talking to them about her book and the research that went into it.

Most middle schoolers are going to have to wait until October, 2008 to get swept up in the adventure -- it won't be in book stores until then. But, some librarians are going to get a chance to see the advance reader copy later this week at the Texas Library Association event.