BEN DOWNEY
A Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Juster.
What did you like about it?
The creativity and the wordplay. There are a lot of great books out these days for kids, but back in the day there weren't a lot of books like that — ones that really got into your head and were that playful.
TIFFANY PATTERSON
I feel like I was a Where the Sidewalk Ends kid.
What did you like about it?
The poems all had doodles. I think that I was drawn to the artwork and the simplicity of that. I think they were just magical little worlds.
KIM HARPER
Roald Dahl's Danny, Champion of the World. We just read it to the girls.
What did you like about it?
The [pheasants] all eat these [drugged] raisins, and then the guys get all the birds. I just like the idea of all the birds sleeping. [laughs]
PATRICK RUNKLE
My favorite young adult book was The Golden Compass.
What did you like about it?
I was raised Catholic, so it helped me question the structure of the Catholic Church and stuff. I like to gush over that one.
JOHN HARPER
My favorite book probably comes from being in high school: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
What did you like about it?
The humanity of the characters and the suffering that they went through, and how the suffering transformed their lives and the result was these other expressions of love and caring.
