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!

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Would you hire the "Ladder-less Window Cleaning Company" to clean your windows? Why or why not?

Julia (8): "I would like to hire them because it would be fun to watch them work and I would ask the Pelly if I could take a ride in his beak."

Gabe (6): "No, because I don't need them cleaned."

Mom's Notes: I gave the kids (and myself, of course!) the Roald Dahl box set for Christmas. They were very excited to see some familiar spines in the set, and Julia picked this skinny one out to read immediately. She and I took turns reading it aloud. Gabe is suddenly reading so well, he can take a turn soon too, if he likes!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

If you could speak parseltongue, what would you say to a snake?

Julia (8): "I never spoke to a snake before. It's pretty cool meeting a snake." 

Gabe (6): "Don't hurt my family, Rattlesnake." 

Mom's notes: There was plenty of gasping, laughing, speculating, and reading ahead by Julia during this one. On to the movie! 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Would you like to attend Hogwarts? Why or why not?

Julia (8): "I want to go to Hogwarts because I want to learn how to fly on a Nimbus 2000 and I would really like the ability of turning invisible."

Gabe (6): "I would want to do magic there. I would turn toads into mountain trolls and bewitch peoples' minds."


Mom's notes: Now that the wondrous world of Harry Potter has been opened to these kids, there's no closing it! I don't blame them. These stories were a humungous success for good reason. Naturally we watched the movie upon completion of the book. I was so glad the kids got to picture the characters in their own imaginations prior to seeing the movie. That's an experience not many kids have anymore!

Banner in the Sky

Rudi decided to save Saxo instead of climbing to the top of the Citadel. Why do you think he did that?

Julia (8): "I think because he was a kind boy and I think he thought a real hiker should help other people."

Gabe (6): "Because he cared about others and not himself."


Mom's notes: Jonny picked and read this one. He remembered being impacted by it when he read it as a kid. It was slow at times, especially with all the mountain climbing jargon, but that didn't keep the kids from being active listeners. I believe the story of Rudi Matt will stay with them, just like it has with Jonny.