Gee, it’s been a while since I’ve added any titles to my Homeschool Reading List. Let me do a little something to remedy this.
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (10 years old and up)
Aunt Millie gave me a copy of this book for Christmas, back when I was 11 or so–and it set my mind on fire! Everything about it was fantastic! Better than the movies! And you know I was a big fan of “lost world” movies. Still am. Anything with dinosaurs in it, save a seat for me.
Young reporter Ned Malone, wishing to impress his girlfriend so she’ll marry him, joins an expedition formed to search for a “lost world” somewhere in the unexplored wilderness of South America. It’s led by Professor Challenger, whose outsized accomplishments are exceeded only by his outsized ego.
This book has everything: adventure, exotic setting, suspense, action, crisp and often witty dialogue, one memorable scene after another… Well, I still read it now and again, don’t I? The Lost World never loses its charm. It’s the great-grandma of Jurassic Park–the first of its kind, and still great after 111 years. Still great fun!