Term One 2019: what we’ve been reading

Since school has gone back we have been reading lots, but we’re kid of doing our own things.

For the boy in Grade three, that means churning through the chapter books for independent readers. After he finished Pax early in the term he has also whipped through 10 or so Geronimo Stilton books, Grandma Dangerous and the Egg of Glory, the 2 other Zita books he hadn’t read, a Diary of A Wimpy Kid, Pirate Pug: the Dog Who Rocked the Boat book and another Rory Branagan.

He also read the first in the new series by Mac Barnett, Mac B: Spy Kid. I also managed to read it and I really liked it. We have read a few spy-themed chapter books, but this felt different, there was more humour and less seriousness. I would say this is suitable for those who have just graduated to independent reading.

He only got through half of an illustrated version of Treasure Island and said he wasn’t liking it so that went straight back to the library.

One saving grace this year is that he has developed a new habit this year. He is super keen to record his reading all himself in his school diary, saving me the hassle of chasing him up and trawling through our library records to see what he has read and when.

The girl in Grade one is still in the ‘learning to read fluently’ phase. She can handle the readers sent home from school pretty well, but won’t attempt a chapter book on her own. She liked that she could read Green Eggs and Ham all by herself, but she found Fox in Socks quite challenging.

After receiving some hand-me-down books from her older cousins she has become very enamored with the Treehouse series. Sometimes she’ll alternate reading a page with me, but otherwise, a parent reads it aloud to her at bedtime and it’s become a really nice thing. I had never read any of the Treehouse series and I have been really impressed with them. It’s very easy to see why they are so popular. The storylines are a little more complex than I had expected. Not that they are super deep and meaningful, but they are more interesting and require a more active mind.

Another book that got read aloud to her (in between handstands and cartwheels) was Bear and Rabbit: The Pest in The Nest. We love Jim Field’s illustrations so she recognised something about the book and it was short enough to read in its entirety in one home gymnastics session.

The Kinder girl and the mini-man are still getting their fill of picture books at lunchtime. As soon as I say I’m making the sandwiches they both go to collect the books they want. We’ve done a few Maisy books and Peppa Pig books, which I don’t love, but can tolerate them once a day. We’ve also done a few from the Thomas the Tank Engine franchise because that’s what the 2 year old wants and we all succumb to his stubbornness.

Thankfully there have been some books that have been enjoyable for me in the mix too. Shinsuke Yoshitake’s three masterpieces, Can I Build Another Me?, What Happens Next? and It Might Be an Apple have been a ray of light this last month or so. I LOVE the style of illustrations and the creativity they demonstrate. To be honest, while I have read them to the younger kids, I think the older ones get more out them. While reading Can I Build Another Me? I felt like I would love for my kids to get to know themselves the way the character does. So I went online and found this awesome resource which we will be doing for our reading journals.

I also really enjoyed The Neighbors, a picture book about the people who live in one quirky apartment building.

We also had some old favourites that I’m happy to re-borrow as the younger one probably wouldn’t remember them: The Lion Inside, Iggy Peck: Architect, To The Sea and Accident.

I have been working keeping my summer reading habits going despite being back in the school routine. I almost managed to get through an enormous tome about the life of Queen Victoria. My main thoughts about it was that the research was beyond thorough. I also had a go at a YA murder mystery called Two Can Keep a Secret and found I quite liked it.

Following on from the Neil Gaiman/Chris Riddell book I read at New Years, I managed to get Fortunately, The Milk and both Jude and I loved it. I am half way through reading it to the girls. It is really fun. The characters are interesting, the story moves quickly and it’s different from other books for that age group. It makes the reader think a little more and pay attention to the story. I highly recommend this a read aloud for less keen readers. It can be done in under an hour and will keep attention the whole way through.