Weekly Reading Highlights (May 18th 2009)

   This week the girls were most excited to hear the book Gooney Bird is So Absurd, the 4th book in the series, published in 2009. We all enjoyed this book, whose theme this time was writing poems. There is a really sad part where (plot spoiler ahead!) the Room Mother - the teacher's mother - dies. All the kids are so sad when their teacher isn't there that day and they find out why.... but then they create this beatiful group poem and video tape it for her. It brought tears to my eyes, what a great way to honor someone's passing! Laurel said it wasn't as good as the first few books, but I disagree. 

  Laurel was thrilled that I finally decided she was old enough (age 9) to begin the first book in the Harry Potter series, which she has been asking to hear for a long, long time. I absolutely love these books, I stood in line to get them when they first came out. The audio versions are just fantastic! We are listening to the audio version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Laurel is hooked. It will take us a long time to go through this story because we only listen to it when Ella's not around, and I'm just not ready for her to hear it yet.  

  The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce is a chapter book that we are reading as part of our recommended reading for history.  I think this book is a really neat look at what life was really like for colonists. We are really enjoying reading historical fiction in the form of journals. I must warn you that there is a lot of death in this book, including a suicide. 

  Since Laurel has been enjoying hearing the Franklin stories so much, I got another in the series, Franklin's Friendship Treasury.  As soon as the girls saw this book they wanted to hear all 4 stories right away. Part of me finds these stories boring, but I must admit I really love how the parents talk to thier kids. Franklin is a good role model, even if he doesn't always do the right thing, he makes it right in the end. 

  The Hello, Goodbye Window came highly recommended from a friend with younger kids, and as I looked through it I thought our girls were too old for it. However they both enjoyed hearing it, and the illustrations were really cool too.  

  The Castle on Hester Street was a book that Laurel picked out, and both girls enjoyed hearing this story of how two people emigrated from Russia to America, told as a tall tale story from Grandpa but with Grandma correcting him with the truth.