Recent Family Read Alouds {Summer 2023}
This summer we read some classics that I’ve been itching to read with my kids for years! I have one sensitive listener, and I’m glad we waited until he felt ready to tackle the more intense plots. If you too have a sensitive reader, let me encourage you to follow the child’s lead. We had so many years where I wondered if the aversion to any tension or “bad guys” in a plot was okay. Was this something I needed to help him through? Turns out, just allowing time and gentleness was the best course. I learned to trust his sensitive spirit and see it as the gift that it is. His tender heart is sorely needed in this world.
Learning about the Highly Sensitive Child (especially this book) was a game changer for me as a parent as well. Even now as he is growing, he’s learning his limits. He has learned for himself that he prefers to read more intense stories to himself so he can set the pace, versus audiobooks or even listening as I read. (And I often catch him reading the ending of a book first. A-ok!) This is valuable self-insight for his life!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn a small commission on eligible purchases (at no extra cost to you).
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. I adored this when it first came out (20 years ago?! How??), but it was a bit too dark for my sensitive listener until now. Having waited, though, the whole family enjoyed it. The author is a master storyteller and hooked us with her beautiful tale. My husband and I had some lovely chats about the author’s themes, within (purposeful) earshot of our kids, modeling organically for them how readers linger over a story and converse over ideas.
The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I vividly remember listening to the audiobook of this when I was a kid, on a road trip with my family, and it was my turn to do the same for my kids on our recent trip. (Another one that was too intense for my sensitive guy until recently.) It’s a brilliant classic for a reason! We all loved it, and we had some wonderful conversations around it! We have moved onto book #2 (in publication order). Tip: we purchased the chronicles of Narnia audio collection on audible, the whole series with almost 34 hours of listening, for 1 credit. If you’ve never had an audible subscription, you can sign up for a free trial, order this, and even if you cancel, you can keep it forever.
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (author of Where the Red Fern Grows). An odd premise, but such a beautifully told story that had me in tears. My boys loved this and begged for read alouds! (My 8 yo was so persistent that I just had to laugh when I heard him knocking eagerly on my door early one morning, asking if I was up and ready to read the next chapter to him!) The story follows Jay Berry one summer when he discovers a tree full of monkeys in the Ozark Mountains; the monkeys had been lost from a traveling circus during an accident and a reward is out for their return. Jay Berry has his heart set on that money and goes to great lengths to capture the monkeys, along with his faithful canine companion and ingenious grandpa. I’ve never read a story that so masterly weaves an act of self-sacrifice into the plot without it feeling like pity, that celebrates the joy of giving for another’s wellbeing even when it means personal loss. (Note: there’s a very odd chapter in which the monkeys lure Jay Berry into drinking sour mash from a still and he gets drunk! A teachable moment for the character and my listeners lol)
Marc’s Mission (Way of the Warrior Kid series book #2) by Jocko Willink. My boys primarily read this with my husband, and I listened in here and there. I overheard lessons in empathy, hard work, advocating for self and others, and discipline.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. This is one of the books that I patiently waited to share with my children. Its intensity was juuust at the point of acceptability for one, and AWESOME for the other. The sensitive child decided to stop here in the series for now, but he loves to listen to his brother’s narrations of the other stories, and they play their own version of quidditch and LEGO with Potter themes. To each his own. The story opened so many conversations for us about spiritual matters, and set a fire in my reluctant reader!
Henry & Ribsy by Beverly Cleary. This was a re-listen for my older boy, but new to the younger. They both LOVED it. Beverly Cleary is such a master! It was a nice change of pace to have a light, humorous story to enjoy. Tip: we purchased the Henry Huggins audio collection on audible, which is over 15 hours of listening time (6 complete books) purchased for one audible credit. It’s on my list, The Most Bang for Your Audible Credit.
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Our friends were in the play of Willy Wonka this summer, so we took the opportunity to read the book beforehand. It was a fun one, enjoyed by all! My older boy went on to read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and I overheard him snickering away.
Abandoned:
Cheaper by the Dozen (abandoned). We really loved this book for the first third or so, but after a time the Dad began to grate on us with his arrogant attitude.
Skinnybones (abandoned) We only lasted a few chapters into this one before we decided we didn’t care for the main character’s attitude. I love that Audible has a money back guarantee!! I’ve used it maybe 4 times in my many years of membership, but it’s a great security that we won’t waste our money on stories that aren’t a good fit for our family.
That’s it for now! I’ve got a beautiful fall story lined up once we wrap up our current family read aloud. Stay tuned for all of my thoughts on those! Subscribe / instagram / facebook
