We're heading into our summer schedule. In the next few days, we'll set aside our formal academics and take a looser approach to learning. But while we'll ignore the math sheets and grammar pages, we'll still make time for reading.
We'll keep our regular weekly visits to the library. We'll stay up late reading under covers. And we'll continue to enjoy a chapter or two from a read-aloud after lunch.
As always, the kids will have to play outside and read every. single. day. Fortunately, they each have a good book to accompany them into our summertime schedule.
Here's what we're currently reading.
Read aloud- everybody
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader- In our quest to read through the entire Narnia series as a family, we've finally landed on Book 5. At the start of the story, Edmund, Lucy, and their cantankerous cousin Eustace fall through a painting and onto the Dawn Treader, a Narnian ship headed beyond the known lands. They along with King Caspian must find out what happened to the missing Lords who had been previously exiled by Miraz.
Jamie- that's me!
That Sounds Fun- I've enjoyed listening off and on to Annie R. Downs' That Sounds Fun Podcast and was looking forward to cracking open the book that bears its name. I don't always agree with the host or her guests, but I can always find value in hearing voices from across the different denominational persuasions. I wish I could say that the pages have lived up to my expectations, but unfortunately, they've all fallen rather flat.
I appreciate Annie's conversational writing style. She definitely writes how she talks on the show. And to be honest, in this busy season, light reading is a welcome companion. However, I don't think I'm the right target audience for this title. Annie aims to encourage readers to chase the fun even in hard times. But as a married woman and mother of five, I don't seem to have much in common with the life of a single woman. Her struggles, while no doubt disappointing and painful, are vastly different from mine.
In addition, I just feel like the book really smacks of privilege. From cover to cover, Annie talks about all the celebrities she knows, vacations she's enjoyed, movies and shows she's appeared in, and even week-long mental health retreats she's taken. In my humble opinion, very few of the experiences she mentions will resonate with the average woman, single or otherwise. The book kind of reads like a journal that's maybe only meant to be shared with the author's close friends.
In addition, I just feel like the book really smacks of privilege. From cover to cover, Annie talks about all the celebrities she knows, vacations she's enjoyed, movies and shows she's appeared in, and even week-long mental health retreats she's taken. In my humble opinion, very few of the experiences she mentions will resonate with the average woman, single or otherwise. The book kind of reads like a journal that's maybe only meant to be shared with the author's close friends.
When the Day Comes- In this first of a new series by my personal friend and second-generation homeschooling mom Gabrielle Meyer, Libby lives in both 1774 and 1914. She, like her colonial-era mother and so many others before her, is a time traveler, trapped between two contrasting periods of American history. By her 21st birthday, she must decide which of the two lives she wants to lead and which one she'll die to forever. The choice seems obvious to her: she belongs in Williamsburg, Virginia on the cusp of a Revolution. But, when things take a dramatic turn in her other life, the decision doesn't seem quite so clear.
I'm only halfway through this historical fiction. But I'm enjoying the unique plot and the light romance sprinkled throughout.
Glitch- Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason have loathed each other for as long as they can remember. They are both in training at the Glitcher Academy, a school designed to prepare kids to go back in time to stop nefarious time travelers from changing the timeline and dramatically altering history forever. But, when they are forced to become glitch partners, they must work together to stop the biggest time crime in Glitcher history.
I'm nearly done listening to the audio version of this middle grade I'm vetting for my tween/teen book club. Ironically, it too is about time travel.
While I don't love the bickering that happens between the two main characters in the first couple chapters of the book, I do appreciate the redemption that happens in their relationship as the story unfolds. It is a fast-paced, action-packed story that sneaks in quite a bit of history. I will definitely be adding this to my book club line-up for fall.
Super Boy- 10th grade
Gulag Archipelago- My oldest son is working his way through this classic by Russian novelist Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn which details the forced labor camp system set up by the Soviets between 1918 and 1956. I read portions of all three volumes in high school and while I don't remember much of it, I know that it is exactly the kind of book my oldest son enjoys: historical accounts of unique military and political decisions.
Blonde Warrior- 8th grade
Keeper of the Lost Cities- Sophie Foster has never felt like she belonged. After a freak accident when she was little, she could read minds. Turns out, that's not the only strange "power" that she possesses. Little does she know, she's actually an elf who's been placed among humans in order to protect them.
Please note: This is the first of a nine-book series. I have only read this debut novel and can not speak to the appropriateness or lack thereof of the rest. While the story is very clean and doesn't possess any dark magical elements, there are some fantastical plot points. Also, in keeping with typical tween/teen behavior in traditional school scenarios, some of the characters are rude and cheeky to one another.
Please note: This is the first of a nine-book series. I have only read this debut novel and can not speak to the appropriateness or lack thereof of the rest. While the story is very clean and doesn't possess any dark magical elements, there are some fantastical plot points. Also, in keeping with typical tween/teen behavior in traditional school scenarios, some of the characters are rude and cheeky to one another.
This is the last book my son will read for our 2021-2022 tween/teen book club. Although he's enjoying it, he's not liking it nearly as much as I did. But that doesn't surprise me.
Greased Lightning- 7th grade
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey- After plowing through the first of the Mysterious Benedict series, my son has chosen to move on to Book 2.
In this volume, the four young society members find themselves traveling across the globe to find and save their beloved leader Mr. Benedict.
The Dude- 4th grade
Backyard Dragon- Owen is a bit of an outcast at school. To make matters worse, after the recent death of his grandma, his grieving grandpa seems to have no time for him either. Then, a dragon appears in the backyard. The pair must join forces to protect the medieval creature from the outside world. In doing so, they not only rebuild their own relationship but also begin to form the kind of community they both desperately need.
While not the most masterfully-written book, this light trade paperback was the perfect dragon distraction for my youngest son after the Wings of Fire debacle.
While not the most masterfully-written book, this light trade paperback was the perfect dragon distraction for my youngest son after the Wings of Fire debacle.
That's what we're reading in May. How about you? What's on your bookshelf this month?
I just finished Secrets of a Charmed Life and cried for the first time in forever while reading a book! I'm almost done with God Vs Government which is an excellent read. We are slowly reading aloud through The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White which we seem to have a love/hate relationship with. The story isn't bad but the author's constant preaching of evolution is quite painful.
ReplyDeleteI've not read any of those titles. But the God Vs. Government sounds especially intriguing to me. I don't know when I've last cried while reading a book...probably the picture book Boxes for Katje. That one gets me every time.
DeleteIt is an easy read, something I would advocate to be read by the Christian church en masse. It's by Nathan Busentiz and James Coates. I've never read Boxes for Katje. I cried last I think with Little Britches and one of the Little House books. Family things get me!! And I don't know that I recommend Sword in the Stone, though the movie I would say is better.
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