I love Terry Teachout’s suggestion that Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps is “suitable for bright children” over at his So you want to see a show? blog entry.

Only problem? A lot of parents think their child is bright. Brighter than most others, in fact. Not all, mind you, but many. And they aren’t always correct.

I remember when I worked at a bookstore. One of the other clerks said, “Parents come in to get books for their children and say one of two things: “My child is exceptionally bright and far ahead of her reading level,” or “My child is very slow and beneath her age’s reading level.” There wasn’t an average child in the bunch. Ever.

Of course I can say for a fact that my children were, and are, brighter than the norm.

Honest. 😉

I’m glad Terry mentioned Jon Hassler’s death. I’ve read nearly everything of Hassler’s, and blogged about his death earlier over at the pattyo. I will relish his final book, to be sure.