Rutabaga

An unusual collage of myth and legend. R

This is the only other story in the Halloween group that I've had a chance to read. I confess to being confused by the beginning. I can imagine that a lot of kids growing up (including me) would have welcomed the kind of "aha!" moment that Dirk experienced. R

Justice is definitely done. R

Even though there is a composite topic for all the Halloween stories, I think the authors who worked hard on them deserve their moments in the sun. This is a very cute story that has a wonderful ending. Every kid needs a Mr. Collins in his life. R

This is such a cute and clever story. Glad it is back as a Pick from the Past. R

This surprising but rewarding short story has quietly appeared. It's a satisfying read on many levels. http://awesomedude.com/nicholas-hall/hawks-nest/hawks-nest.htm R

A JJ Janicki story without asides would be like a MacGyver episode without some kind of brilliant techno-contraption at the end. The dictionary sequence in this story is priceless. Worthy Pick from the Past. R

I am pretty sure I read this two years ago when (I believe) it was first posted, but it's back as a Pick from the Past and worth having its own thread here. It's a very cool premise and, as Cynus noted in another thread, would be a great setup for a novel. It would be really great to see how Mason and Everett get on. I am a sucker, also, for stories where the lead character (Mason, in this case) discovers that he has special skills or powers that allow him to do unusual things. (Think Jacob in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.") Anyway, it's a fine piece of writing and cries out for more. R

Just finished reading this. I expected it to be in Australia consistent with the rest of Mark Peters's work. The one big piece I was hoping to learn, but did not, was whether there was ever any consequence to Cunningham for covering up the bad guy's misdeeds. R

No more comments from me on this story. I wish all the best to Mark Peters, a fine and creative author. R

Me either. R

OK, I confess that I was a bad boy, and finished the story elsewhere. I couldn't wait. BUT it led me back to re-read Song for Guy, which provides essential background for (among other things) the karaoke scene in A Good Place. I know I read it some time back but I had forgotten the details. And as for A Good Place, the conclusion blew me away. R

The court has the final say on what prosecutors are allowed to do. In this case the court ignored its responsibilities. R

This is a very fine story. R

Dumb question: Is this the proper "next" story to read after "Thompsonville"? It leaps quite a ways forward d in time R

All done. Some highlights for me: 1. I love Granny. 2. I love Beetle. He's a great little brother. 3. I love the lacrosse moves to subdue the bad guys at Granny's party. 4. I love how well Freddy did with his magic. And of course it was amazing how events arranged themselves for the boys at the end. A rewarding read, not least because of the many familiar places. R

Did i mention that one of my brothers has a birthday on July 5th? R

And of course everyone knew about the big pink DuPont house north of town, and undoubtedly others. Excuse me, Pierpont. R

Okay now this is becoming eerie. I attended Carnegie Mellon and lived right next to Shadyside. R

And the beach community sure reminds me of Rehoboth Beach where I spent many summers. R

Just checking in to say that I just began this story and it's fun because I grew up in Bethesda, literally next door to Landon School for Boys. R

I started out in the Los Angeles city school system and was there through the middle of 3rd grade. The teachers did a half-hearted job of teaching cursive writing and I was of average ability in that regard when my family moved back east. When I hit the Maryland schools in 4th grade I discovered that that system obsessed on fastidiously well-crafted cursive writing. All my new classmates did fine; I was a train wreck. I still have to take mountains of handwritten notes in my work, and use kind of a hybrid of printing (lower case) and cursive. At least it's readable. I would be in trouble if printing was all I knew, or if I could only take notes by typing. I think kids should learn how to write and should learn how to do arithmetic without a calculator. Best is if they can do at least approximate calculations in their heads. It's a survival skill. R

Dharun Ravi, whose freshman roommate Tyler Clementi committed suicide after Ravi published streaming video of Tyler and a male date, had his cyberstalking conviction overturned Friday by a New Jersey appellate court. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/nyregion/conviction-thrown-out-for-rutgers-student-in-tyler-clementi-case.html R

This is a cracking good read, and has been a New York Times best seller. A movie version directed by Tim Burton and staring Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender's Game) will be coming out later this year. It's not a gay-themed story but it involves a young teen boy on a major quest. The writing is superb and it is difficult to put down. Really good. R

Look at all the pen names listed here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stratemeyer_Syndicate_series R