The Horse and His Boy

Which scene from this story stands out most vividly in your mind?

Evy (7): "The parts with Aslan!"

Gabe (10): "The scene when the king and two other guys making plans to attack Narnia and the Aravis is hiding behind the couch."

Julia (12): "When the lion is next to Shasta as himself and it's dark and Shasta can't see him but can feel him." 

Mom's Notes: We're back in Narnia! It's been several years since our last reading in the series. This story was a brilliant one to get us going again. Many Sunday evenings this summer were spent out in the backyard with Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and the others. We were all happy to meet up again with the Pevensies and learn of their Narnia reign. The interactions with Aslan were beautiful and powerful. On to adventures with Diggory and Polly! 

Tales from Deckawoo Drive

Which book was your favorite? Why?

Michael (4): "I liked Leroy Ninker, because all the pictures were boy stuff."

Daniel (4): "I liked the raccoon one, because I like the raccoon."

Mom's Notes: The buddies were SO excited when I pulled the Leroy Ninker book off the shelf downstairs. We zipped through it, and they begged for the rest. (They saw the cover pictures on the back.) We weren't disappointed in these rather deep, but approachable tales of Mercy's friends. It was a joy getting to know the side characters better. My favorite is Baby Lincoln's story. I caught Julia and Gabe reading most of these in a single sitting. We also purchased the picture book A Piglet Names Mercy, to complete our collection. These books have been and will continue to be revisited often.

Mercy Watson

Which Mercy Watson book is your favorite? Why? 

Michael (4): "I like the Halloween one. Because chapter four is the best! Mercy was trying to catch the cat."

Daniel (4): "I like the movie one. Mercy ate all the sodas and popcorn!"

We read the majority of these books out on the hammock this summer. The buddies think Mercy is hilarious and are always excited to finish a book and move on to the next. They've really taken ownership of this series! They are often making trains of the books, bringing them along on campouts and trips, and flipping through the pages and retelling the stories the best they can remember.

The Greatest Star on Earth

Who is our favorite character in this circus series? Why?

Evy (7): "Ella the Elephant. Because she's an elephant. And she's so cute!"

Gabe (10): "The Flying Banana Brothers are super funny acrobats. They always think they know the directions: up, down, this way, that way!"

Julia (12): "I like the mice because they are funny."

Daniel (5): : "The lion, because he has a mane."

Michael (5): "The elephant, because she's in the circus."

Where the Red Fern Grows (Audio)

Mom's Notes: Jonny suggested we listen to this favorite during our drive to California. I'm so glad. The reader is perfect for this story with his accent that sounds straight out of the Ozarks. Almost every time he does the grandpa's voice I laugh out loud! But of course, even without a brilliant voice behind the words, this story stands as a gem all on its own. We definitely cried our way through it just like the first time. And we love it even more than we did then. 

The American Twins of the Revolution

The Priestly family found a very creative way to hide the gold so they could get it to the Continental Army safely. Where would you hide it? 

Julia (11): "I would hide it how the Mom suggested while joking with a soldier. I'd make braids and hide the gold inside my braids."

Gabe (9): "My mouth! Well...maybe not."

Evy (6): "In my shirt."

Mom's Notes: We weren't finding a lot of time for this read-aloud after our history lessons, and I almost gave up on it and figured we were reading enough anecdotes from the unit. But we had an impromptu read-a-thon one snowy March morning, and grabbed this book to read a few chapters. We ended up reading for hours! The story picked up and we just had to finish it. (It helped a lot that the buddies were playing at Couisn Ross's house for the morning. The house was quiet and cozy.)  We did take a break for lunch, for which we tried to make cornbread muffins inspired from the book, but ended up missing ingredients and made blueberry scones instead. These unit-themed books add so much to our understanding of history. It is just so fascinating to see what we're learning be applied to a story and characters. This is learning at its finest! Well, a field trip to Philadelphia to top off the unit would be education at its very finest...

The Show Must Go On!

Given the chance, would you apply to run Sir Sidney's circus? 

Evy (6): "No, I don't like messing with lions." 

Gabe (9): "Maybe, maybe not. I mean, it would be fun but I need a different career. I wouldn't get much money by it. Plus, then I couldn't be a professional soccer player... or be in the NBA." 

Julia (11): "Yes. Who wouldn't want to be with a talking elephant and lion?!" 

Are you surprised Sir Sydney gave Barnabas a second chance?

Evy (6): "Of course! I thought all the stuff he done to the animals was, like, really mean. But Sir Sidney gave him another chance to see what it really feels like to be good to other people." 

Gabe (9): "Nope, he's a nice guy. And he thought he could help him."

Julia (11): "No, because Sir Sidney has a good heart." 

Mom's Notes: The big kids have read this series independently, but they begged that we read it aloud. This adorable and hilarious book was just right after a heavier read. We giggled throughout, and the kids appreciated when I inserted some music from The Greatest Showman. ;) We all cheered for Barnabas Brambles's change of heart, and Sir Sidney's grace. We'll definitely pick up the other five books here and there throughout the next year. Can't wait!