What We're Reading In January 2017

As we turn the page on a new year, I look with sadness at the pile of books with pages left unturned. My kids each got new-to-them books in their Christmas stockings, as is our tradition, but haven't had much time to crack any of them open. Our final week of 2016 was a bit of a bumpy road so books had to take the back burner. I hope to rectify that in the coming days. 

We've got stacks of books awaiting us in the months ahead. But for now, we're going to refocus our attention on these...

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Read Aloud- everybody

The Ember Falls- After reading the first of the Ember series last year and deeming it one of our top 10 books of 2015, we couldn't wait to get our hands on the sequel. We're about half-way through it and have enjoyed renewing our love for rabbits with swords. 

Jamie- that's me!

You Were Made for a God-Sized Dream- While this is not the most riveting read, I do think it's been a nice punch in the arm to reclaim some of the dreams and passions I've had for years. They've been tucked away yielding to the needs of the urgent, but are slowly starting to resurface because I'm learning to make room for them again.

 

Sweetie Pea- 8th grade

Allison O'Brian on Her Own- My daughter was a bit reluctant to start this book because at first glance, it didn't look as if it would fit her typical reading niche. Historical fiction has never been her fave. But, since it came highly recommended by a friend, my Sweets set her jaw and determined to crack it open...even if she just knew it was "probably going to be meh." 

Apparently, this was just another valuable lesson in never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover, because she hasn't been able to put it down.

 

Super Boy- 5th grade

I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001- (Just-for-fun book) He's slowly making his way through the entire I Survived series which has been a perfect fiction collection for a boy who loves history and true-to-life stories.

Blonde Warrior- 4th grade

The Mouse and the Motorcycle- (Mom-assigned book) My middle son is almost done with this one that he started last month. He's always loved Beverly Cleary books. So, as I make plans for his next mom-assigned title, I've got my eye on a few that have authors with a similar writing style. 

The Green Ember- (Just-for-fun book) Since learning that we'd be reading the second Ember book as a family, my son decided to crack open book 1 for a quick refresh of the characters, plots, and themes. 

Greased Lightning- 2nd grade

The Chalk Box Kid- (Mom-assigned book) While this was a new-to-me title, I didn't hesitate passing it on to my son. I've never met a Clyde Robert Bulla book that I didn't like. I just knew my little artist would love to read a book about another boy who likes to draw as much as he does. 

Ramona and Her Mother- (Just-for-fun book) We just finished reading this as a family not too long ago and he was anxious to revisit it. 

The Dude- Preschool

Bob Books Set 1- This past month, my little guy began to tiptoe across the great divide between those who CAN read and those who CAN'T. He's learned all his vowel sounds, about half of his consonants, and has been slowly decoding more and more words each day. It will be a happy day around here when our very last non-reader can finally drop the NON. But for now, he's thrilled to be practicing his reading skills with Bob. 

The Complete Brambly Hedge- This is an anthology of all of the original Brambly Hedge books. My son and I are slowly reading it together. 

The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver- The Hubs bought our son a beaver puppet and a vintage copy of this Thornton Burgess classic for Christmas. They've been reading short chapters from it together each night using the puppet to narrate. They've both enjoyed this one-on-one time so much that The Hubs has already ordered the other two books in the Paddy series and has plans for more puppets and Burgess stories in the future. 

Those are the titles that will launch us into the new year. How about you? 

What will you be reading at the start of 2017?