Swallows and Amazons

Mom's Notes: This had been recommended by various sources, including Nana Jan - who gave us a chocolate bar and a can of sardines to eat while reading it. (We have yet to try the sardines!) It fit right in with other ship and sailing books we've read this past year. Though some of the jargon was still fuzzy for us! (It's easy enough to look things up and learn something new.) This is one of those stories that you wish you could live out. Four siblings who get to live on a small island on their own for a few weeks in the summer?! I appreciated the realistic checking in on them that the mother does. She is so fun to play along with their ever-present make believe. Interesting note - we finished this book while Julia was in Brazil. She was on the actual Amazon River while we read about their make-shift Amazon!  

Redwall

 

Mom's Notes: Jonny read this one aloud to the three youngers. It's been years since he read it to Julia and Gabe, and he was in the mood to return to the medieval woodlands! They were all highly invested in the story and spent many evenings in our bedroom reading by lamplight. Gabe would join in for a listen on occasion. (He read the entire series years ago.) 

The Time Garden

Mom's Notes: It's always fun to usher in the summer with a fun, whimsical book. Edward Eager has fulfilled that need for us a few times now! I've had this one as a reread in mind since our trip to Boston. The chapters that include Jo, Laurie, and a few more Concord folk did not disappoint! There was also much we could relate to from our very recent studies of the the the American Revolution and the Underground Railroad. The chapters that take place in jolly old England, of course, now have me wishing to plan a trip there... Someday, hopefully!? 

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

 

Mom's Notes: This was one I wanted to read before our New England trip, but we didn't have time after Johnny Tremain. It worked out even better to read Nat Bowditch's story after being in Boston, stepping in to Harvard, and exploring three different ships on our New England trip. (Now I just really want to go back at see his statue in Mount Auburn Cemetery!) It was especially appropriate to go along with our study of the brand new United States after the war, as well as our study of the solar eclipse. (Even Leap Year came up in the book, during our reading on the very 29th of February! We had just learned the hows and why of Leap Year, so we were in the know about why the charts were wrong in the year 1800,  a skipped Leap Year for the century date.) Nat's story is repeatedly heartbreaking, but that makes his resilience and passion to write his book on navigation all the more inspiring. He was always learning, always curious, always wanting to understand things. It would be incredible to look through his stacks of notebooks. Though the sea tales and jargon were a little long-winded at times, I'm so glad we read this book and are now familiar Nathaniel Bowditch's incredible story, as well as his contribution to the mathematical world of navigation. 

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?

Evy (11): "Because it was more important to him. Between saving someone's life and reaching the top. If he did reach the top, he would always think that he didn't save Saxo. He would feel bad." :

Daniel (9): "Because he didn't want to leave him behind and people would be sad if he died." 

Michael (9): "Because people matter more than challenges."

Mom's Notes: While Evy was playing "Library" one Sunday, Jonny "checked out" this book from off her shelves. That inspired a reread! Evy was a toddler when he read it to Julia and Gabe. It was so fun to snuggle up in our bedroom in the evenings and hear Jonny read this aloud to Evy and the buddies. They were all heavily invested in the story, brought it up often, and always begged him to read more. I'll go ahead and recycle the question I asked Julia and Gabe back in 2015. They were 8 and 6 years old! 

The Wheel on the School

Mom's Notes: I decided we really should re-read a favorite book at least once a year. I've been wanting to go back to Shora since we closed this book three years ago! I was especially prompted to read it after spending time with the Brinkers in Holland. We loved getting reacquainted with Lina, Janus, the boys, the storks, and so many others. We extended the story by learning about storks and being fascinated all over again. One winter morning we drank hot chocolate and played dominoes, like they do during the days and days of stormy weather. We let our own wondering lead our learning (in place of a science/history unit), sucking on lifesavers to get the juices flowing. (No "wineballs" to be found!) This is the ideal, and I do hope and pray that wondering is creating life-long learners out of us all. 

Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

 

Mom's Notes: This has been on my "To Read" list for years. It seemed a fun, seasonal story. And I always love to trip to the Netherlands. It did end up being just the thing for December, and we learned more about Saint Nickolas Day as we read and researched. Hans and Greta's dedication to one another, their work ethic, and their hope for their father all made for a beautiful story. I didn't realize this story was so steeped in Dutch history. We learned quite a bit as the boys were on their great skating trip! If we ever make it over to Holland (and I truly hope we do), we'll have to revisit this story and pay closer attention to the historical details.