Steve Ross

Steve Ross, aka Mr. Steve, is a Vroman's institution.  In addition to working in the Vroman's Children's Department, he is also our DVD and bargain book buyer.  He will find you a bargain, if there's one to be found.  He is also the host of Vroman's popular Storytime with Mr. Steve, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10am. 

"I was hired at Vroman's Bookstore in 1989. Since then, I have become something of an expert in Kid's Books and remainder buying.

My blog: http://mrstevesstorytime.blogspot.com/

To see the Kimmidoll "commercial" I created for Vroman's (plus a lot of other tomfoolery): http://www.youtube.com/user/maskrado"

Mr. Steve’s High Fidelity-like Top Five Lists

Top Five Picture Books for Storytime (in print as of 2010):
1. Fish Out of Water – Helen Palmer
2. That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown – Cressida Cowell
3. Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig - Eugene Trivizas
4. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - Mo Willems
5. Beware of the Frog – William Bee

Top Five Favorite Novelists (Kid’s Dept.):
1. Derek Landy – Skulduggery Pleasant
2. Dean Lorey – Nightmare Academy
3. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider
4. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games
5. Michael Carroll – Quantum Prophecy

Top Five Favorite Graphic Novel Authors
1. Alan Moore – Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Ballad of Halo Jones
2. John Wagner – Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd, Button Man, A History of Violence
3. Pat Mills – Slaine, Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law
4. Ben Dunn – Ninja High School, Warrior Nun Areala, Marvel Mangaverse
5. Evan Dorkin – Milk and Cheese, Dork!

Top Five Favorite Authors (Who Got Mr. Steve Interested in Books Without Pictures):
1. Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan, John Carter of Mars)
2. Kenneth Robeson/Lester Dent (Doc Savage)
3. Grant Stockbridge/Norvell Page (The Spider)
4. L. Ron Hubbard (Final Blackout, Golden Age Stories)
5. Robert E. Howard (Conan, Solomon Kane)

Top Five Favorite Writers (Adult):
1. Maria Amparo Escandon – Esperanza’s Box of Saints, Gonzalez and Daughter Trucking Co.
2. don Miguel Ruiz – Five Agreements, Voice of Knowledge
3. Susan Gregg - The Toltec Way
4. Walter Moers – 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo
5. Vern – Seagalogy: A Study of the @$$-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal

Top Five Favorite Book Subjects:
1. Action and Exploitation Movies
2. Guinea Pigs
3. ‘80s New Wave Bands
4. Pro Wrestling (especially lucha libre)
5. Comics and graphic novels, especially Britian's 2000 A.D.

Favorite Kid’s Novel That Should Never Should Have Gone Out of Print, and Should Be Made Into a Major Motion Picture ™:

1. Sir MacHinery by Tom McGowen

All the World (Hardcover)

$17.99
ISBN-13: 9781416985808
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Beach Lane Books, 9/2009

All the World is one of the finest picture books I've ever read; it elevates the standards of storytelling for children to a new level.

A charming poem in the spirit of The Power of Now is lifted into the stratosphere by Marla Frazee's cinematic illustrations.

Frazee's wordless story about a family's get-together near the seashore runs parallel to the poem, and ingeniously illustrates the text. The layout and the pictures are packed with details that can be discovered, studied, and treasured by children and adults time and time again.

All the World is an excellent children's book, and many well be one of the best gift books of the 2009 Holiday Season.

Recommended by Mr. Steve


$6.99
ISBN-13: 9780152066086
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Sandpiper, 4/2009

It doesn't matter if a story is written "for children": some of our most popular books for young readers have universal themes that can be enjoyed both by kids and their parents. A fine example is A Crooked Kind of Perfect, a hilarious debut novel by Linda Urban. The climax and the resolution will draw a laugh and a smile. A Crooked Kind of Perfect reads as if a friend is telling a very funny story. Urban uses a pleasant, first person narrative, and a non-traditional format, to relate the classic struggle between "how it should be" and "how it is." It's a great read-aloud, although it might be distracting if grown-up readers keep laughing at the pop culture references that are aimed at adults. Linda Urban's name may be familiar to Vroman's customers: during her time here at Vroman's, Linda was a bookseller on the sales floor, then Events Coordinator and Newsletter Editor. Of course, that did not affect my opinion of my fellow Vromie's book--not in the least. Really.

Recommended by Steve Ross


$13.00
ISBN-13: 9781592403448
Availability: Probably In Stock -- Call to confirm
Published: Gotham, 12/2007

Did you know that Chuck Norris's blood type is D.O.A.? Or that his genes aren't a double helix; they're barbed wire? I've seen most of Chuck Norris's early films (Silent Rage was his best), but I never thought that he was as cool as Van Damme or Steven Seagal. But now that I know Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked Bruce Lee, breaking him in half, and the result was Jet Li and Jackie Chan, I have new respect for the man. (True, Not-Intentionally-Humorous Fact: Chuck Norris sued the publishers of this book. Apparently, Chuck Norris grew a beard in lieu of a sense of humor, and he wants to deliver a roundhouse kick to freedom of speech.)

Recommended by Steve Ross