Recent Family Read Alouds (Spring 2024, age 11 & 9)
Our family read alouds this quarter had some winners! My 9yo went so far as to predict that one of the novels will be in the top of our end-of-year rankings! (The first book summary below!)
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Glitch by Laura Martin. We all enjoyed this exciting take on the time travel novel. The two protagonists alternate telling the story, as they unravel the mystery of their mission. Regan and Elliot have grown up at odds with each other on their small campus of “Glitchers”- those with the genetic ability to travel through time who train to catch criminals who attempt to alter history. The use of time travel to preserve events that seemed like they should be altered gave us a lot to think about and discuss. (For example, the opening scene shows Regan preserving Lincoln’s assassination; later the book explores how the world could have been different if he had lived. Other historical scenes are the Boston Tea Party, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.) Regan is dyslexic, which she learns later in the story. I like the way that the author explored how people are perceived versus their true selves, and how to get beyond outward appearances to build unlikely friendships.
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson. This was a captivating story that happened to pair well with our geography study of the Great Lakes. Taking place on Lake Superior, Lucy Landry is a foster child who has been sent to live with a large, kind homeschooling family living in a lighthouse in the 1910s. What a backdrop! Add in some intrigue surrounding a lost necklace and a shipwreck. It reads like a classic, and we loved it!
Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson. We all loved this fantasy novel that somehow felt realistic! In the middle of a “global sickness” and lockdown, Clay is longing for adventure, and he finds one when he discovers a dog in the woods near his house. The dog leads him to trails he never knew existed, and as time goes by, to new worlds full of interesting characters. We were laughing out loud many times through this story, and yet also on the edge of our seats! (And we are hoping for a sequel!) The major theme of the story is the nature of true friendship, and the author explores how sacrifice is intertwined with friendship.
Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key by S.D. Smith. We began this as a family, but my younger son didn’t care for it while my older one loved it. We decided to part ways and the older carried on with it. I think it had a touch more maturity than the 9yo was ready for (describing the protagonist’s (innocent, sweet) crush and how he feels around her/etc.). My 11yo enjoyed the fantasy and battle elements. I trust S.D. Smith’s writing, and loved that he co-wrote this with his son.
The Green Ember (series) by S.D. Smith. Although it wasn’t a family read aloud, I just wanted to share for the records and my memory that my 9yo is devouring the Green Ember series! My older boy tried them a few years back and didn’t care for them, but this guy is ALL about this series! He asks me every night for “an extension” to stay up reading later!
Fake Mustache: Or, How Jodie O’Rodeo and her Wonder Horse (And Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election From a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind by Tom Angleberger. Copyright 2012. I hated this book. My kids loved it. It was innocent but just really dumb. I lasted about halfway through before I handed them over to an audiobook and required narrations of their progress.
Next up, summertime reading! Yay! Check out my post on novels for summer read alouds here and be sure to subscribe to my email list for updates through the summer on what we are loving!
