A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2019.
David / He was too engrossed in his book to take off his backpack or look up at his afternoon snack. He just finished the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Tom tried to read along so they could about them, but Tom couldn’t keep up.
Mary / Turns out my neighbor’s brick wall is perfect for photos.
Thomas / I always think of him as a little brother, but he’s a pretty phenomenal big brother, too.
Anna / This baby girl has a bad cold, an ear infection, is cutting three teeth, and the most amazing disposition despite all that.
The movies are miserable compared to the books. Is he going to read the next series, The Heroes of Olympus? I also liked the Kane Chronicles about the Egyptian gods. I eagerly awaited the Norse god series, but, I felt he went out of his way to be inclusive, and, to me, the effort to be so totally inclusive detracted from the story.
He might also like the Christopher Paolini series. I would not have thought of reading it, but when I was purchasing the last Harry Potter book when it came out, the “if you like this, you might also like” thing from the Barnes and Noble website suggested it. I had a fairly long commute then, so I thought, why not, and purchased the first one. I liked them as much as Harry Potter, which did surprise me, as I would not have thought I’d like it.
I read many of the “young adult” books, although, even in that category, it is getting harder and harder to eliminate the sex and profanity. But, I also went a more than a third grade vocabulary, and a decent plot. Some of the Christian fiction is nice, but some of it is too preachy, for lack of a better word, and slanted toward a particular denomination.
I have most of the Rick Riordan books in audiobook format. My husband liked them as well, and we listen to them as we drive. The time just flies by. I don’t know if audiobooks would work for kids on a trip, as our children have 4 legs. Harry Potter was done by Jim Dale, and he used a different voice for each character, something many of the narrators do. Ebay has a great, and cheap, selection.
Oh, for what it is worth, most of the incidents in the Percy Jackson series are “updated” versions of actual stories about the gods. The books would inspire me to look something up, and I’d read the original story/adventure.
I can always tell my students who read, because they are excellent writers. They have great vocabulary, and they know spelling and grammar. Reading IS fundamental. You are very blessed that he loves to read, and use his own imagination, as opposed to waiting for the movie, and Hollywood, to tell him what to visualize.
we are SO blessed that he loves to read! we’re hoping we have an entire family of kids who love reading.
you gave me so many great ideas! i especially love the idea of having him look up the original mythology — we have an old set of world book encyclopedias that have all the gods, I’m going to challenge him to look them up.
And audiobooks work amazingly well for kids on road trips! i listen to a lot of audiobooks and they like them as much as i do (i loved the harry potter books! i thought the voices were so well done). it’s a great way to entertain my three older kids without screens.