Here's what each of my kids has read lately...
Plus, why I love when the kids find a series they love
In 1992, I was in the 5th grade at Washington Elementary School. I had my first crush on a boy named Heath Warner, I was obsessed with horses, and I had read every single book in The Babysitter’s Club series (I even got the board game for my 11th birthday!). My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Griffen, tried her best to nudge me toward other books, but I was unwavering in my mission to read the entire series from start to finish.
Before The Babysitter’s Club series, I had already made my way through all the Judy Blume books, the Ramona Quimby series and all twelve titles in The Boxcar Children series.
It’s easy to understand the appeal of a series. My kids like them too. The characters are familiar, the structure is predictable, and there’s comfort in knowing that as soon as you finish one book, there’s another one waiting. Of course it’s not always the most varied kind of reading, and admittedly I have found myself trying to encourage my kids to pick up new and different books (Mrs. Griffen did have a point!)… but I do like how one good series can hook kids in and get them into a good reading rhythm.
Some of my kids have even read a series twice! Quin and Ivy read the Harry Potter series two times. Same for the Wings of Fire series. I stop myself from discouraging it because reading is reading, right?
A couple years ago, I shared some of the kids’ favourite novels, plus lots of great recommendations from readers. Below I thought I’d share some of the books each of my kids has read recently…
Wilkie (age 8):
Wilkie is only just learning to read in school, so he hasn’t read anything on his own yet. However, he still insists on three picture books before bed (long may it last!), and he really enjoys listening to audio books on his Yoto Player. Here is a mix of books we’ve read to him or that he’s listened to:
We just recently read The Puffin Keeper and loved it. This is a great beginner chapter book, with ten short chapters accompanied by the sweetest illustrations.
He tore through the first eight audio books in The Famous Five series. (I don’t think Yoto has more audio books beyond the 8th book, so we are planning to read the next ones together.)
He recently brought home one of the Tashi books from the school library and enjoyed it. He’s now keen to read more in this series.
I thought we had read every Roald Dahl book there was to read, but then a couple weeks ago we found a copy of Billy and the Minpins in our street library box. (Apparently it was Roald Dahl’s very last story, originally published in 1991.) Michael read it to Wilkie, and he loved it.
The Are We There Yet? picture book by Alison Lester has been a firm favourite for the last couple of years — I think he loves all the little details. We’ve read it at least a hundred times and we still find something new to discuss when we read it.
He’s also loves What Did the Tree See? by Charlotte Guillain. Again, little details! And Andrea Beaty’s ‘Iggy Peck, Architect’ series too.