The Adventures of a Traveling Travel Book

Where is my book?

I was about to leave for vacation, but the book I packed had disappeared mysteriously.

I had put it in in my knapsack the night before. Then, as was my habit, I unpacked everything the next morning to do a repack. The book was nowhere to be found.

The book–An Elephant Ate My Arm— was the third in Laurie McAndish King‘s Curious Traveler series. I liked her first two collections, Lost, Kidnapped, and Eaten Alive! and Your Crocodile Has Arrived. I couldn’t wait to read her third.

If I could find it.

A little while later, I searched for my floss in the front knapsack pocket. There, beneath my toothbrush pouch, was the book. No doubt it leapt from the main pocket to the front pocket because it was a travel book. It wanted its own experience to write about.

I was relieved to find it and even happier to read it while on my trip. It was a lot like opening a box of chocolates and deciding to eat just one. I ended up reading several essays in one sitting. Delightful, delicious, charming, heartwarming, funny, insightful, and wise; I didn’t want to carry this new collection in my knapsack because I was too busy enjoying it.

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