Car Talk

Their heads covered, Frank and Joe were hurled to the ground. Resistance was futile. Quickly, their hands and feet were bound. Then they were dragged out of the tent and into some bushes. Footsteps indicated their attackers had left.

Nebraska to Texas is a long day of driving, but action like this makes the miles pass quickly. The girls take turns reading aloud, as first the flooded plains of Kansas, then Oklahoma's rusty red soil, slip behind us. Who says the Hardy Boys series is just for boys? Frank and Joe even entertain a Gaggle of Girls through Fort Worth's five o'clock, bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go freeway. All the action, all the stress, is in the book, leaving none for the ladies enjoying the tale in the car.

If your family has already read enough Hardy Boys, try reading aloud the Little Britches series by Ralph Moody. Guaranteed to keep kids quiet and adults thoughtful through the worst gridlock, longest interstate, widest plain.