Well, seeing as how I didn't quite accomplish my 9-9-9 Book Challenge, it is now merging into a 10-10-10 Challenge. Well, actually, I'm making it a 9-9-10 Challenge b/c I can't think of a 10th book category I would be remotely interested in adding to the list of 9 categories already there. So 9 books in 9 categories but in 2010. Scroll down the right side of the blog to see what I finished (and what I didn't!)
Why has it taken me a month to bring this up? Um...because I'm just about the most forgetful person in the world, even with 10 lists around the house to remind me of things to do. Also, because my son and I have been sharing some great book time at night lately. I let him slide a bit over the holidays and read a few lower grade books. Why? Because he loves them, they are funny (which is criteria NUMERO UNO for J in a book) and again, he loved them. The Bone books, given to him by his sweet friend LB at his birthday party. Well, because I let him go forward with those, his AR points (Accelerated Reader) at school were below par and we needed to bring them back up. Don't get me wrong, he loves reading and is thankfully great with it, but because of the AR system, the Bone books don't accumulate many points.
So...long story, um, longer...J and I decided to finish The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (unabridged version) we had started before Christmas. I had never read the actual book and he was enjoying the story (did you know the shoes in the book are silver, not ruby?). Last week we put a major halt on the video games and added reading, reading and more reading to the day. Along with our together book, he was reading his own book for school too. We finished both last Thursday and he did great on the tests, giving him the points he needed to pass up his "target level" for the week.
Here's the bigger benefit I have discovered other than points...sound sleep. Yes, we both seemed to sleep more soundly last week. (T always sleeps soundly so he's not included in this, plus when he comes in to listen to the story, he makes J and I giggle and get off task so we have banned him from our book time!). If you have been keeping up w/me on his blog or you know me IRL (in real life) you know T, J and I are book hounds anyway. But I had forgotten how relaxing reading to J could be, I just got busy for awhile after we finished Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator last fall and it became "easier" to have him read on his own. And his brain had a chance to detox a bit from the computer screen, video game screen and tv screen. (ok, yes, he made up for it on the weekend!)
I completely understand the AR thing...I know there are a lot of kids who get out of school somehow, never learning to read well, if at all. I understand the point thing b/c it's a way to monitor if they are comprehending what they have hopefully read. I get it. What I think is crazy is not letting them read what they enjoy simply because it's not on an appointed "appropriate level" for them. I mean, they are still reading, right? So while I do see the benefit of AR reading, the bigger benefit for me is reading great kids books with my boy I might have missed as a kid (or ones I loved and want to share with him) and both of us resting more peacefully :) And I really think Malcolm and Norman enjoy it too. Too bad we've already read Stuart Little, they'd love that one!
Reading together...Try it w/your kids, grandkids, neices, nephews, kids you babysit...I promise you'll like it! We're starting Trumpet of the Swan tonight. It was one of my favorites as a kid, I'm hoping J will enjoy it also. He'll be reading his 4th Bone book on his own because that was his treat for racking up so many points last week :) And I'll be treading through The Historian when I hit the pillows, a book Batgirl loves...although I'm still trying to figure out why? (sorry BATGIRL!)
9-9-10 Challenge! (~ symbol means "done")
Fiction
~Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
Non-fiction
Christian
~Lunatic - Ted Dekker (Lost Books 5)
~Elyon - Ted Dekker (Lost Books 6)
Books with J
~The Wizard of Oz - Frank Baum
The Trumpet of the Swan - E. B. White
Audiobooks (yea, I like this category!)
~Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas - James Patterson
~The Wedding - Nicholas Sparks
Classics
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (have started)
Books I own that I haven't read yet
Cheaper by the Dozen - Frank Gilbreth, Jr.
A Room with a View - E.M. Forster
Books I want to re-read
The Scarlet Thread - Francine Rivers
Red - Ted Dekker
Books recommended or that I reviewed
Fearless - Max Lucado (have started)
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova (trying to finish)
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