Family Read Alouds {Spring 2021}
Several classics and a few lesser known books, this Spring was an interesting mix of books enjoyed in an interesting mix of locations– from the couch to the patio, to the first road trips of the season! Here’s what we’ve been reading with my 6 and 8 year olds:
This post contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn a small commission on eligible purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Family Read Alouds (Books)
Frindle by Andrew Clements. This young classic is really a fun, interesting story that explores the power of words, with a very satisfying and heartwarming ending. When “troublemaker” Nick enters 5th grade and the infamous Mrs. Granger’s class, he initiates a battle of wits with his dictionary-loving teacher, inventing a new word for pen: frindle. He manages to get the entire school to start using this new word… and then the movement becomes bigger than the two of them. Although my kids asked for more chapters at each sitting, I do believe I should have waited a few years. They liked it, but they didn’t really *get* it. I recommend this for 4th grade & up for a quick read aloud with some discussion starting power.
The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George. We sought this out because my older son is a huge fan of Jean Craighead George (My Side of the Mountain series in particular, and her beautiful conservation picture books as well). This is about the wackiest auto-biography you’d expect from such a nature lover! Each chapter details one of the many wild pets the family housed over the course of her children’s growing up years– crows, a skunk, frogs, mice, tarantulas, and many more. My kids enjoyed it. I mostly just shook my head at the craziness (note: we have no pets lol).
Camp Time in California (Magic Tree House #35) by Mary Pope Osborne. As a start to our exploration of the National Parks, we read this Magic Tree House which sees Jack & Annie transported to meet Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir in Yosemite. It was less exciting than many of the series, but it served our purposes well in introducing us to the history of the parks and a little bit about Roosevelt/Muir.
The Adventures of Bubba Jonesby Jeff Alt. Another National Parks book that we enjoyed! Each book in this series focuses on one National Park and explores its history (exploring extinct creatures, the area’s first inhabitants, past presidents and US time periods, former park residents, and park founders). Currently there are 3 books in the series (Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Acadia) with a third releasing 8/2021 (Grand Canyon). We’ve learned so much through the story that is both practical and historical! The plotline also includes ciphers which are another layer of fun. (For more National Parks books, check out my mega booklist post here.)
Audiobooks
The Secret Garden. Spring is simply the best time to read The Secret Garden. Parts of this classic haven’t aged too well. We had a few conversations about that. But, we enjoyed the story of the transformative power of our thoughts and of nature.
Rascal. My boys absolutely loved this classic tale of a boy and his pet raccoon. They described it as “funny,” although I think I missed the humor. 😉 It was a rich story set against the backdrop of life in small town America during WWI.
The Moffats. A sweet family story that reminded me of All of a Kind Family and Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. The Moffats live in a small town in Connecticut around the time of WWI. Published in 1941, the stories are based on the author’s memories of her childhood.
Rufus M. Another in the Moffats series- we listened to this out of order because it’s what the library had! My boys were giggling away.
Independent Reading (Read by my 8yo to the family)
The Mountain Challenge and The Volcano Challenge (Bear Grylls). We are huge Bear Grylls fans (we enjoyed his Survival School TV series on Prime and his Survival Camp book, along with this series of middle grade chapter books). As a mom, I especially appreciate that these teach life lessons and character along with survival skills.
Abandoned
Strawberry Girl. We all really wanted to like this classic Newbery Award book… but we really didn’t. We gave it a solid 45 minutes of listening time on audiobook but had to abandon it as the meanness of the characters was just too much for my sweet boys.
What have you been reading lately? Connect with me in the comments or on my Instagram or Facebook pages!
