A Wind in the Door

If you were the Blajney the teacher, and you could choose the test for Meg and Progonoskis, what would it be?

Julia (9): "I would have them learn the names of the people who have been X-ed. It would help them prepare for the other tests they'd be given."

Gabe (7): "I would make them go back to their dimension then go all the way back."

What do you think it would feel like to hold a brand new star in your hands? 

Julia: "I think it would be amazing to know there are more special starts in the universe than grains of sand in the world."

Gabe: "Hot."

What would you like about being able to kythe? 

Julia: "I think it would be awesome and I'd kythe a bunch of emojis to Eli!"

Gabe: "I could say hi to my friends at school and Mrs. Jones even though she's not my teacher anymore."

Mom's Notes: There's a lot to discover and digest in this story, and while it might have been a bit over their heads, the kids were all ears. They are now well acquainted with mitochondrion! They were quick to pick up on lots of the symbolism - which led to insightful discussions. 

A Wrinkle in Time

How would you feel if the Mrs. Ws sent you off on a dangerous adventure through space and time?

Julia (9): "I would feel like I might get sick and feel dizzy and wonder if they got the right person."

Gabe (7): "I'd feel cool because I'd get to fight bad guys for once."

How do you think you would react if you saw IT?

Julia: "I would scream and also try to sing something that was out of the rhythm of IT."

Gabe: "I would react like I was just in a normal elevator. And just pretend that I wasn't seeing IT."

Mom's Notes: I believe this is the first science-fiction book we've read aloud. Because these kids love a good story of seemingly any genre, they were enthralled with this one. Some of it may have been a little deep for them, but children often surprise us by what they can comprehend. Julia and Gabe pointed out the eternal truths within the story on their own much of the time. We are all interested in picking up the next books in the series, which I haven't read myself. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Which of the three tasks would you want to compete in? 

Julia (9): "I would choose the second one, the gillyweed one, because it would be easier to find a spell to help me go through."

Gabe (7): "I would do the dragon one because I want to see what the dragons really look like." 

Mom's Notes: Jonny read this one. It's been fun for him to be involved in the HP books as he's never read them until now. The kids had been begging to read this for months, and they were completely captivated from the spooky first chapter. They were a little disappointed in the movie though, what with characters and subplots being left out. Still, they thought it was amazing and can't wait to dress up as Harry and Hermione for Halloween in a few weeks!

James and the Giant Peach

If you were stuck inside (or on top of) a gigantic fruit, which one would you wish it to be? Why? 

Julia (9): "A pomegranate or a cherry, because cherries are really juicy and delicious and so are pomegranates. And the pomegranate would have a ton of little tiny homes for each person."

Gabe (7): "An apricot, because it's my favorite fruit."

Which insect did you like best? 

Julia: "I like the Spider because she's really kind, and dark and smooth."

Gabe: "I liked Centipede because he's funny and he likes being a pest. He says, 'I'm a pest and I'm proud of it.'"

Mom's Notes: Now we have another incredibly imaginative and expectedly wacky Roald Dahl tale under our belts this year. There's just something completely unforgettable about picturing a giant peach sailing through the sky. And the crazy cloud men!? RD's first very first chapter book for children was as big a hit as his others in this house. 

Gone-Away Lake

Imagine you were given an amazing old house to use as a club house. What would you name your club? What would you do in your club house?

Julia (9): "I would name it 'The Great Gone-Away Explorers.' We would find new ways to use the plants in Gone-Away and we would decorate the house in our own type of way."

Gabe (7): "I would name my club "Wu Crew" because the people in the club would master their Spinjitzu like in Ninjago."

Mom's Notes: Elizabeth Enright is a favorite author of mine. She writes kids so well. You feel like you know (and want to be friends with!) Julian and Portia. Her books may be dated, but the way the kids act and think is relevant. I remember reading this as a girl, and though I'd forgotten much of it, the atmosphere the book emits stuck with me. We'll read the second one next summer!

The Magic Finger

A "magic finger" is a powerful thing! What would you do if you had one?

Julia (9): "I would use it on all the people who are bullying people, until they learn their lesson. Also, I would give myself every power I can imagine!"

Gabe (7): "I would use it to make enough money for the lego set I really want to buy."


Mom's Notes: Whenever we take a break from the RD box set, one of the kids brings us right back when a new read-aloud is needed. Gabe grabbed this one and we read it in a few sittings.

Because of Winn Dixie

How is this book sweet and sad like a Littmus Lozenge?

Julia (9): "It's sad because because her mother went away and didn't come back in the end. It's sweet because she finds a new friend, Winn Dixie, who introduces her to other new friends. Like Otis and Gloria Dump."

Gabe (7): It's sad because her mom doesn't come back. And it's sweet because she learned to live with that."

What does Opal learn about making friends?

Julia: "That it can be hard to make friends and easy to make friends."

Gabe: "You can be friends with anyone you want."


Mom's Notes: This book has a beautiful way of showing rather than telling. Even in such a succinct novel, there is so much to learn and discover about the characters - and about ourselves. I hope to read this book aloud many, many more times through the years. Life is complicated and heartbreaking at times, but there will always be light and love and truth. I treasure this book for the hope that it radiates - beginning even with the cover illustration. 

Number the Stars

Mom's Notes: This book was a Julia (8) and Mom book club pick. Julia's teacher read it aloud at school, and she pulled it off our shelf to read it again on her own. It's been years since I read it, and I'm very impressed with Lowry's approach to showing the effects of WWII through the eyes of a child. Even though it's a very short novel, the characters are so well-developed that your heart aches for the families in hiding and you find yourself praying for their safety and cheering on their rescuers. 

Redwall

Which Redwall character do you relate to most?

Julia (8): "I relate to Cornflower. She's always watching out for Mattheas and I watch out for my friends and family."

Gabe (6): "Matthias. Because I would kill a snake."

If you were Matthias, would you trust the crow? 

Julia: "I would keep her as prisoner, and see if she was right or wrong. Then I would release her and we would be friends, if she was telling the truth."

Gabe: "Maybe. Because two of the crows were good."

Mom's Notes: Jonny had mentioned reading some of the books in this series as a kid. I surprised him with the first one for his birthday. The British vocabulary and prose made this read-aloud a bit of a challenge, but the kids were ever-attentive and followed the story of bravery and sacrifice well. I wouldn't be surprised if they pick up a few more in the series on their own in a few years.

the Mercy Watson series

What is the silliest thing Mercy did in the books?

Evy (3): "She tries to eat a hot butter toast candy on Halloween! And she tries to not get her princess dress on."

Gabe (6): "Someone thought she was a monster! And the police came and found out it was a pig."

Julia (8): "I think the funniest thing is that she thinks that chasing is really fun. Like when she gets chased by people who are actually trying to catch her."



Mom's Notes: Because I think Kate DiCamillo is an incredible writer, I purchased this set on a whim for a family Christmas gift. Mercy Watson is a hoot and these simple stories are hilarious. The books are very easy-readers, so Julia breezed through them on her own and they are just the right level for first-grade Gabe. Evy and I have read them all more than once in the past few months, usually reading an entire book in one sitting while the babies nap and we snuggle on the couch. So naturally she now often requests "toast with a great deal of butter on it" for lunch! Who can resist?

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

If you were shooting into space with Willie Wonka in a glass box, would you be nervous? Would you trust Mr. Wonka?

Julia (8): "I would be kind of nervous, but seeing how strong the glass elevator is would make me not as nervous. I would trust Mr. Wonka because he made some wonderful things and he's a really nice man."

Gabe (6): "I would trust him because I've seen the first movie."

The Vita-Wonk can make any person younger. Would you want to take the magic pill? Why or why not?

Julia: "When I'm a grandma I might like to, but not now because then I turn into a minus! And I would listen to Willie Wonka carefully so I would know how many pills to take."

Gabe: "I would if it made you three years younger because I liked it when I was three."

Mom's Notes: This book was an unpredictable adventure! We had no idea the story of Willie Wonka and Charlie went so far beyond (and above!) the famous Chocolate Factory.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Imagine that Buckbeak let you fly on his back! What would you want to fly over?

Julia (8): "I would fly over Italy and Disney World."

Gabe (6): "I would want to fly over Lego Land and fly over the triplets' house."

If you were using a Time-Turner and you accidentally let your past self be seen by your future self, how do you think your past self would react?

Julia: "I think they would blink and say, 'Hey, is that me!?' "

Gabe: "I would pretend it wasn't me and run away!"

Mom's Notes: Harry Potter is growing up, and his adventures are getting more exciting and more dangerous. This was a page-turner, with begging for "another chapter please!" just like the first two.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Which treat from Willie Wonka's factory would you most like to taste? Why?

Julia (8): "I would like to taste an ever-lasting gobstopper. And a buttercup. I think it would taste so sweet and sugary."

Gabe (6): "I want to taste the chocolate river because I bet is tastes so melty-chocolatey."

Mom's Notes: The kids have seen the 1970s movie, so it was fun for them to look for similarities and differences between it and the book. Jonny, who knows the movie practically by heart, loved reading familiar lines from the script that had been taken straight from the pages.

George's Marvelous Medicine

If you were making a marvelous medicine, what would you put in it?

Gabe (6): "I would put in everything I could find, even the oil from the candle. I would blow it out and pour that in."

Julia (8): "I would put in crushed up crayons, feathers from my pillow, and everything else I could find."


Mom's notes: I vaguely remember hearing this read aloud by a teacher, so I chose it for our next book. Dahl's humor can be a little dark at times, but it's so obscure and ridiculous that it really can't do any harm!