Great Books for Summer Travel!

Planes, trains and cars, oh my!

All that time sitting and kids can go bonkers (and make their parents tense in the process).

If you're like me, before every trip starts you slip out of the house in search of the perfect activities to tote along and surprise them with.

My criteria?

1. They've got to grab their attention from the get-go -- elicit a squeal when I pull them out, or from the older guys, an approving, "Hey cool, Mom."

2. They need to be interesting enough to keep the kids from asking "Are we there yet?" before we're even close to our destination (or at least until the fasten seat belt sign is turned off).

3. They must be fairly compact, easily fitting into my kids' hands or laps, and sliding into a shoulder bag.

And lastly, wouldn't it be great if they fed their brains too -- spurred their creativity or got them thinking in a new way?

Nothing quite fits the bill like a few great books: they transport kids away from a ho-hum moment and help them forget all of the annoying things their siblings were doing just minutes before.

So, to help your travel time slip by (and keep peace in the backseat), I've pulled together my top book picks for summer traveling.

Each of the books was selected for it's clever premise, ease of reading and/or how quickly it jettisons readers into an adventure (or their imagination.)