The second book I'm positive had been translated from either Norwegian or Swedish. The main characters were a brother and sister who stumble into some kind of dastardly plot to steal something. I don't remember the nefarious intentions offhand, but what stuck in my head was that they used Morse code to communicate when one of them was tied up to the pipes in a basement by the bad guy.

Aghh! This is so familiar, I know that I read this book. I'm coming up completely blank on any details beyond your description. Frustrating!

Was it Number the Stars by Lois Lowry?

Or....

******

Bernie Magruder and the Case of the Big Stink
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Bernie Magruder and his family live in the Bessledorf Hotel. Mr. Magruder is the manager and the family wants to be sure that the hotel is safe and well run so that their dad will not be fired. One day, Bernie's sister, Delores, comes home from the parachute factory, Middleburg's main employer. She has been gassed. The police suspect that the crazy gasser lives at the Bessledorf Hotel. Bernie, Georgene and Weasel decide to find the culprit. They devise a plan to investigate each of the residents to be sure that the hotel is not hiding the crazy gasser. When the next attack occurs, the police inspector reenacts the crime. Suddenly the door opens and Hildegarde comes in with her mop and bucket. They found the gas but not the gasser. When Bernie and his friends discover the Mad Gasser in the hotel, they are held hostage. Using Morse code they signal where they are and who is the real Mad Gasser. The whole thing is a scheme to shut down the parachute factory and extort money. Bernie and his friends are real heroes. They save the parachute factory and Dad's job as the hotel manager is secure. 2001, Aladdin Paperbacks, Ages 8 to 12, $4.99. Reviewer: Karen Werner ISBN: 0-689-84128-0

I think the King James Bible is something that people should read at least once in their lives, being the antecedent to a number of phrases and traditions that carry through the English language and American culture.

We had it as required reading my sophomore year of high school in honors English.

It was more interesting than Crime & Punishment.

Hey, I loved Crime and Punishment! It taught me that classic books can be just as exciting and interesting as regular books!

I am widely disagreed with, and I'm okay with that, but I find Burton's Hamlet to be breathtakingly awesome. Various things rankle and put people off, including the bare stage, the filming of an unmiked stage performance, the lack of sets and the actors in practice clothes. I found it all amazing. The darkened stage and the actors' black clothing throw their faces and hands into the spotlight, and while not all the actors are equally skilled, I don't think I've ever been more impressed with a portrayal of Hamlet. I also love Hume Cronyn as Polonius. It's a stripped-down version, so if you love period locations, sets, and costumes, if you like lush soundtracks and realistic immersion, this probably isn't the production for you.

If you'd like to concentrate on the book and the actors' performances, Netflix has it.

Bev, I think the first time I ever saw Hamlet performed, it was like that. But not that version. I think it was the one with Kevin Kline.

It taught me that classic books can be just as exciting and interesting as regular books!

Les Miserable and Don Quixote did that for me.

I loved Crime & Punishment, too. And Don Quixote.

The thing I learned most from Branagh's Hamlet is that "damn, Shakespeare really does go over all the major plot points (and his favorites bits of imagery) a half dozen times." (A point which was re-established for me in MacBeth, which goes something like "maybe we should kill the king" "We're going to kill the king" "I'm going to go kill the king right now" "hey! I just killed the king" "OMG, the king is dead." Of course there are a lot of minor plot points that are much less repeated). Also, I don't think anyone over 30 should play Hamlet (maybe up to 35, but it's a push unless they're pretty youthful). It starts playing more like a midlife crisis than the emo prince of Denmark. I have similar opinions, minus about a decade, for Romeo & Juliet.

I read and loved Les Miserables in Jr Hi, but could not get through Don Quixote. It may have been a bad translation, though.