The Labyrinth directed by Jim Henson

The Labyrinth movie, directed by Jim Henson, was one of my favorite movies from my childhood. A young woman named Sarah, in a moment of frustration, wishes her baby brother to be taken away by goblins, and that's exactly what the goblins and their king do, wisking little Toby away from his home and into the Labyrinth!

Sarah chooses to go after him to save him, regretting her earlier wish, but the Goblin King works to stop her. Despite this, she finds friends who help her work her way through. But will they make it to the center of the Labyrinth in time? The goblin king only gave Sarah 13 hours to reach her brother, after which he would turn the baby into a goblin, too!

George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

In George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, little George Kilicranky is bullied by his mean grandma, especially when his parents aren't around to witness it. What does he do to get back at her? Invent his own medicine for her of course, and give it to her instead of her regular medicine.

What are the results? Some pretty crazy ones! Grandma grows so tall, she breaks through the ceiling into the second story, and again through the roof. What happens after that? Some more pretty crazy stuff! I appreciated the warning that the things that go into the medicine in the fictional story would not work the same way in real life, and could actually be dangerous. (The ingredients include, [among many hazardous things] engine oil, paint, and other things that would actually poison and kill a person in real life.)

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar is a story about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who doesn't seem to have the best luck. His dad doesn't, his grandpa didn't, his great grandpa didn't, and his great great grandpa didn't either. The reason? His great great grandpa, Elya Yelnats forgot to keep a promise to an old lady friend, and he and his family were cursed with bad luck for eternity unless... Well, Stanley, because of his bad luck, is blamed for something he didn't do, and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional facility for boys.

There, he meets X-ray, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, Squid, and Zero (all nicknames of course) and is required to dig a hole every day for the duration of his time there. The Warden, Mr. Sir, and Mr. Pendanzki all say it's to build character, but Stanley starts to suspect it's actually because the Warden is looking for something.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a delightful story about an eleven year old orphan who goes to live on Prince Edward Island in Canada with the Cuthberts, Matthew and Marila, brother and sister, an old bachelor and old maid who have had very few dealings with children.

But the siblings decide they need help with the farm, and want to adopt a boy. Somewhere along the communciation trail, there is a mix-up, and a girl is sent instead. But the Cuthberts aren't as quick to send little Anne Shirley back to the orphanage as Marila at first thought. What adventures will Anne Shirley get into after she begins like at Green Gables in the small town of Avonlea?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Movie

The movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, follows the plot of the book by the same name.

While movies can't always include all the details of books, being a different medium, this movie did a good job keeping the most important parts of the plot intact. Harry Potter worries that Sirius Black is after him, and along with that, he has to deal with Draco Malfoy, and the bully trying to get an innocent hypogriph that belongs to Hagrid put down. How will Harry deal with that, plus the scary dementors floating around the school grounds?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling is the third book in the Harry Potter series.

It is Harry's third year of school, and while he looks forward to a school year at Hogwarts as a thirteen year old, he begins to worry about the notorious Sirius Black, a convicted murderer, who has escaped somehow from Azkaban prison, and is on the loose! Worst of all, Black seems to have one goal: to find Harry Potter! Will Harry be able to survive the school year? Read this exciting book to find out!

Muppet Treasure Island directed by Brian Henson

Muppet Treasure Island directed by Brian Henson is a hilarious, swash buckling adventure following young Jim Hawkins and his friends Gonzo and Rizzo as they come into possession of a treasure map and head off on an adventure to find said treasure with the help of Captain Smollet Kermit the Frog) and others.

But unbeknownst to them, there are a group of pirates who want the treasure too, and have devious plans of getting it back once they get to the island. But on the island, the good guys get the unexpected help of Benjamina Gunn, an old girlfriend of Captain Smollet's who was marooned by the bad guys. Will Jim Hawkins and his friends get the treasure, or will the pirates get it first?