Happy Easter! (Happy Spring! Happy — belated — Passover! Happy whatever you celebrate!) We had a storm blow through a couple days ago, and lost power, but we’re back on and at our house (after spending a night at our friends’ house). It’s not as sunny and warm as I’d like it, but as it is not snowing (here), I’m calling it a win.

I found this at the library and gave it to K.

She says “it was very bad and very good. Bad because all her friends ditched her because she went to roller camp. Good because I found it interesting and the story was really good.”  She doesn’t recommend it wholeheartedly, but it did make her think. (Even if it is a “comic book” — yes, her teacher still has banned them. Ugh.)

A read this:

It caught her eye at the store (because Ridley is coming…) and I bought it for her. I figured that someone in the house should read a book of his before he comes. She liked it, thought the idea was clever and fun and even though she’s not a huge fan, it was enjoyable.

C’s not reading much because there’s a play coming up, but she is looking forward to reading this in her English class:

In fact, it’s one of those times where she wants to do ALL the projects the teacher assigned (she only has to do one), from memorizing a soliloquy to writing a scene as a blog post. I’m glad she’s willing to tackle Shakespeare without complaint.

What are you looking forward to reading this month?

It’s March, it snowed yesterday, and the girls have been reading. since it’s too cold to go outside and even TV gets boring after a while. Actually, I’m in a bit of a tussle with K’s 3rd grade teacher. The teacher is down on “comic books” and has forbidden K to bring them to school or check them out at the school library. She says that she needs to read “real” books, ones that “challenge” her. Which makes me LIVID. 1) K’s reading, which is something she doesn’t do much, since she’s active and she prefers to be DOING something, so graphic novels (not “comic books”, thankyouverymuch) suit her temperament. And what do you mean that they’re not challenging her?? Just because they have pictures doesn’t mean they’re not 1) good or 2) advanced or 3) challenging. I’m probably still too annoyed to confront the teacher, and so for now, we’ve been searching for a good chapter book K likes that she can take to school to read to please her teacher. It all is very frustrating, though.

I did give her this, which is out in a couple of weeks. She seems to like it so far.

A is taking a break from book reports and found this sitting on my shelves

Ancient Rome? Magic? From the author who wrote The False Prince? She’s sold. (And really enjoying it so far!)

C is the one who doesn’t have much time for reading, between play practice, homework, and just being a teenager. Thankfully, she has an IRP (individual reading project) for her English class. They were supposed to pick non-fiction, which C doesn’t really like, but I threw this at her:

She likes Russia, and I knew Candace Fleming was a fantastic author. I was right: C loved it!

That’s it for us. What are your kids reading?

It’s been cold and windy and rainy the past couple of days (I’m not complaining; it’s not snow!), and so we’ve actually spent quite a bit of time reading. It’s been quite lovely to curl up with a good book (or three).

As for the girls, this is what’s been on their plate. Joelle Charbonneau is coming to the store tomorrow, and in preparation, I read this:

C heard me talking about it, picked it up, and basically devoured it. She asked for the other two, which I picked up at the library yesterday. She’s quite intrigued by this series.

A has been working on book reports, and doesn’t have much time for pleasure reading. (Well, she does, but she’s choosing to watch the entirety of Psych, so there’s that.) The next report is on myths and legends, so she picked this:

I hope she likes it.

As for K, her teacher told her that she needs to quit reading “comic books” (a fact that made me angry when she came home and told me. Obviously, that teacher needs to be educated about the benefits of graphic novels. Sheesh!), so we went to the library to find some longer books. We picked out a dozen for her to look through and she came home with these four.

Hopefully, she’ll find one that she likes and that will satisfy her teacher’s request. (grumble)

What are you planning on reading this month?

It’s been a Christmas break full of TV and movie watching, and not much reading (though A has had to do some, which has completely stressed her out. ) Even so, they all got books for Christmas, so I thought I’d share what they received.

M, being very much the college student, asked for a Hindi dictionary for her classes, as well as this one:

which she says is excellent.

C has been pining for the other two books in the Selection trilogy for months, so she wasn’t surprised to see this on Christmas morning:

Yes, she’s already reread them both.

A didn’t really ask for books, but Santa couldn’t resist the lure of pretty new covers and got this:

which means she’s the proud owner of both the new Harry Potter AND Percy Jackson covers. It’s the inside that counts, though. Right?

And K got a graphic novel, for which she was very happy (even though her initial reaction was “What is this?”)

She’s read it through several times, and absolutely loves the story. And since she’s gotten into Ever After High recently, she got this as well:

She has been quite happy to read and reread those stories.

As for me, my online book group did a Secret Santa and I got this from Angie (at Angieville).

The chocolate was yummy, the bag is delightful, and I’m trying to decide whether or not to actually read the book (which was a joke. Promise). Still, it made me laugh when I opened it.

What bookish gifts did you get?

I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly love the fall time change. It’s not really because of the extra hour of sleep. It’s because I have the hardest time waking up in the dark. I can do it, but I find I’m so more sluggish than when I wake up when it’s light. So, I’m grateful to have light in the mornings again today.

The daughters are reading, but I have to confess, I haven’t been paying much attention to what they’ve been walking around with. (This goes for C, in particular.) From my (pathetic) observations, however, I have seen:

The next book A pulled off her Battle of the Books list was this one. It’s one that I’ve been trying to get her to read for ages, bu she just never showed the interest. (Ah, one of the benefits of BoB!) She really enjoyed all the stories and the characters, but in the end declared there just wasn’t enough Logan.

K and Hubby have been reading this:

I wasn’t sure if she’d get it, being only in third grade. And, admittedly, they do have to stop and Hubby has to explain some of the wordplay. BUT, she has adored the story, and when she gets the words explained, she GETS the jokes. So, maybe my theory that 8 years old is too young for this book is wrong.

C has been involved in another drama production at school — this time in one of the one-act plays — so hasn’t had much time to read at home. Her English teacher did assign them to read a banned book for their next English project, and after much deliberation, she chose this one:

Ah, a classic. She says it’s a bit slow going right now, but is completely fascinated (and repulsed) by the world that Atwood created. I’m just glad she’s reading it.

What are your kids reading?

It’s been busy-ness around here this month. C has been at rehearsals for  the school musical (Grease. Which is a terrible musical, but she’s had a great experience) and hasn’t really had any extra time for pleasure reading. She did, however, read this for her English class:

She really liked it, and it has engendered some discussion in her class. Which is a good thing.

A signed up for Battle of the Books again this year, and picked this as her first book to read:

She’s really enjoying the story, even though it’s not fantasy. (I’m glad for that.) She’s also looking forward to Blood of Olympus on Tuesday. I think everything else is going to stop when that comes out.

K has been struggling to find a book she enjoys. Then I threw this at her:

and she ate it up. Went through the first two before coming to a halt because it was checked out. She loves the combination of graphic novel and chapter book, and the stories are a lot of fun too.

So, that’s what my kids are reading. How about yours?

School’s back in session, and yesterday was a lovely early-fall day. And the kids are actually reading more (mostly) and watching TV less (except on the weekends).

C decided, when school started, that she didn’t remember much about the books she loved as a “kid”. So, she embarked upon a plan to re-read all of the ones we read her when she was in first-third grade. She did it in reverse order of publication, starting with Ella Enchanted, then working through Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Phantom Tollbooth. She’s currently on:

Which she is surprised how short it is. She has a memory of it being quite long. At any rate, she’s thoroughly enjoying her project and has been pleasantly surprised at how well all of these books have stood the test of time for her.

A has discovered Merlin, and had spent her afternoons watching episodes of that. (I’ve not been watching, but from what I’ve overheard, they’re killing the myth. Oy.) She has started this

but is not as interested in it as she was in The Screaming Staircase. I think for two reasons: 1) because Merlin. And 2) because it’s less about Lockwood and more about George and Lucy, whom she’s less invested in. (I’m just waiting until she gets to the end…)

And K has been in graphic novel heaven reading both this:

(adorable)

and this

Her reaction was the same as mine: great! But where’s the next one?? It’s good to have someone suffer with me while we wait.

That’s what my kids are reading. What books are in your kids’ piles?

We’ve been in Summer Mode this past month, and Vacation Mode this past week. So, there really isn’t much reading getting done. There is, however, a lot of swimming, playing outside and arguing happening. But when there is time, the girls have picked up books.

M is currently reading the KU Common Book

She’s enjoying the writing, and thinks the plot is interesting, but the life of the main character and her mother is stressing M out. She can only read it in small bits because it’s just so depressing.

C doesn’t read much during the summer, but a conversation we had led me to check this out for her

I’m not sure if she started it yet. But, she did bring it with her on vacation.

A hasn’t been reading much lately either, but she did finish one of my past Cybils favorites.

She thought it was fascinating mostly because the world Keyes created was very rich and very interesting.

And K, this summer, has decided to focus on graphic novels. She’s gotten the first two Amulets, and loved them, but this (thanks Charlotte!) was a hit

Once she finished it, she was bubbling over with how cool it was. I need to read it now.

What are your kids reading?

School’s out, and it’s summertime. Which, at our house, interestingly enough, means less reading not more. Partially because we have a garden (and a yard and flowerbeds) that need tending, partially because I work three days a week and the kids are home alone (basically) which means they watch more TV than is good for them (even though I do give them “READ” as a pre-TV “chore”), and partially because they just want to be outside. I don’t blame them.

M, when she had a day off, picked this up, because it was laying around (I happened to have been reading it; thankfully, she’s a fast reader):

She liked it. I don’t think she’s invested in the series at all, but she enjoyed reading this (huge) conclusion. She’s also reading

as part of the Nerdfighter’s Book Club.

A was wandering around, looking for something to read, and I happened to have picked up this:

When she saw that, she was VERY excited. She’s enjoying it immensely, saying that Lila and Ella are “awesome”.

And K picked out this

for Hubby to read to her. I was a bit surprised; it’s not something I’d think for her to pick. But, so far, she’s really enjoying Howl and Sophie and the story.

As for my bookgroup, I’m rereading this

and enjoying it as much as I did the first time around. I do hope people come (I don’t know if I can convince A to read it), though I’ve just about given up hope people will. I’ll keep the group through the summer, just so we can say we have it. But then, I might just have to reconsider doing it at all. We’re going to try a summer reading program similar to the one the library does, and we’re also riding the John Green wave and doing a book group for teens (really: for anyone who wants to read the books). But, a book group for kids may just have been a pipe dream of mine.

What are your kids reading this summer?