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Read Aloud Revival

Jan30

I haven’t managed to post much here on Semicolon this week for two reasons:

1) I’m reading a really long and somewhat discouraging biography of Florence Harding, and I don’t really know what I’m going to say about it. The book itself and the writing are fine; it’s the people and events that the book chronicles that are discouraging and sad. I can’t believe that anyone could be as sexually promiscuous and dishonorable as President Harding and still live with himself, much less become president of the United States. No wonder the twenties were roaring.

2) On a more encouraging note, I have been gorging myself on a podcast, listening in the car and at home every available moment. I don’t do audio-books, and I haven’t done podcasts. I’m not an auditory learner, and I find that with audiobooks, my attention tends to wander off into some foreign pasture when I’m supposed to be grazing on a good book. But this podcast! Others have tried to tell me about it; Amy at Hope Is the Word has mentioned it several times, but I probably saw the word “podcast” and skimmed over with glazed eyes.

Anyway, the podcast is Read Aloud Revival, produced by Sarah MacKenzie at Amongst Lovely Things. I found it on iTunes and began by listening to the interview with Sarah Clarkson, On Living a Story-formed Life, because Ms. Clarkson’s website, Storyformed.com, is where I actually tuned in and the podcast registered in my brain. So, Sarah’s interview with Sarah was lovely, and quotable, and I went around thinking about living a story formed life and and creating a family culture of books and stories.

Then, I saw that Sarah MacKenzie had interviewed one of my favorite people, Melissa Wiley of Here in the Bonny Glen, so I had to listen to that episode of the podcast. Melissa made me remember all about how I love her philosophy of tidal homeschooling and how I want to just slow don and read more, but also more slowly, and quit worrying about getting all the subjects covered. And I thought about how I really want to meet Melissa someday (and now both Sarahs, too).

If you give a mouse a cookie . . . I just had to next go back and start at the beginning of Read Aloud Revival podcast and listen to every episode. So far there are eighteen episodes, and I’ve listened to numbers one through eight, plus number seventeen, the Sarah Clarkson interview. Thus far, I’ve been inspired to read aloud and read aloud some more by Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, even though my youngest child is thirteen now and could read everything for herself, although she doesn’t want to read anything by herself (another story). And I’ve been drawn to a whole list of audiobooks and storytelling recordings that I would love to beg, borrow, steal or buy if absolutely necessary, not for me, but for my youngest and for my library. And I’m determined to make more time for Shakespeare in our days. And I want to have more in-depth and interesting conversations with my children about the books we’re reading.

Oh, flibbertigibbet, you don’t want to listen to me talking about this podcast any longer; go thou, and listen for yourself. I am inspired and replete with homeschooling read aloud goodness. Thank you, Ms. MacKenzie and Read Aloud Revival for the shot in the arm that my homeschool year needed.

Finally, after I listen to the other ten or so episodes of Read Aloud Revival, does anyone have any other podcast suggestions for me? They don’t have to be about reading or homeschooling, just any podcasts that I can subscribe to and listen to in the car that you think are insightful and engaging.

I think I’ll start a list to refer back to.

Sarah MacKenzie has her own list of podcasts and other listening stuff:

Quiddity: CIRCE Institute podcast.

Homeschooling IRL with Kendra Fletcher.

Reading Out Loud: 55 Favorite Read-Aloud Books from the Semicolon Homeschool

Jul23

I’m not saying these are THE BEST read-alouds, just some of our favorites.

1. Adams, Richard. Watership Down. Violence and mythology and rabbits. This novel of rabbit communities is long, but worth persevering through.
2. Aiken, Joan. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Deliciously Victorian, and dangerous, and odd, this one is a sort of October-ish book.
3. Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women or Eight Cousins. I prefer Eight Cousins, but of course, Little Women is a classic. Little Women is #47 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
4. Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three and all the sequels. Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, Eilonwy the annoyingly intelligent and plain-spoken princess, Gurgi, and Fflewddur Fflam, the truth-stretching harpist are favorite character in our fictional pantheon. #18 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
5. Balliett, Blue. The Wright 3. All of these detective adventures centred on famous works of art are favorites of my youngest two girls. They have listened to Chasing Vermeer, The Calder Game, and The Wright 3 many times in audiobook form.
6. Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. I like James Barrie’s imaginative story very much, and think the movies Peter Pan (Walt Disney), Hook by Steven Spielberg with Robin williams as grown up Peter), and Finding Neverland (more for adults) are all good follow-up viewing for after you read the book aloud. #86 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
7. Benary-Isbert, Margot. The Ark. Not many people are familiar with this story set in Germany just after World War II. It’s about children surviving the aftermath of war, about animals and animal-lovers, and about family. A good read-aloud for older children.
8. Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks:A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. My children and I love the Penderwick family. In fact, when I started reading this one aloud to some of the younger children, my then-15 year old was entrapped in the story, and picked it up to finish it on her own. #29 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list. Z-baby and I discuss The Penderwicks.
9. Bond, Michael. A Bear Called Paddington. Paddington has been a favorite around here since Eldest Daughter (age 26) was a preschooler.
10. Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Little Princess. From riches to rags and back again, the story of the orphaned Sara Crewe is delightful and richly Victorian. #56 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
11. Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. I think Alice is a love-it or ate-it proposition. I love all the word play and sly wit. #31 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
12. Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest. We’ve had to read all of the Ramona books to my youngest, Z-baby,and she’s listened to them on CD. Several times. #24 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
13. DeAngeli, Marguerite. The Door in the Wall. A crippled boy learns to be a strong, courageous man during the Middle Ages. We’ll probably be reading this book this year since Betsy-Bee is studying that time period.
14. DeJong, Meindert. The Wheel on the School. A group of children work together to bring the storks back to Shora in Holland.
15. DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. A mouse who loves a princess and save her from the rats. Z-baby recommends this one. #51 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
16. Enright, Elizabeth. The Saturdays. If you like The Penderwicks, you should enjoy Enright’s stories about the Melendy famly, or vice-versa. #75 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
17. Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses. Short, poignant story of a group of girls who find out too late that people who are different and perhaps misunderstood should still be treated with care and gentleness.
18. Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. Good accompaniment to a study of American history.
19. Gilbreth, Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. Cheaper by the Dozen. Z-baby says this story about a family with an even dozen children is funny and good to read aloud.
20. Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. One of those dog stories where the dog, of course, dies, but it’s still a good read aloud for frontier studies or Texas history.
21. Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. Read aloud slowly and carefully and savour the descriptions and the setting and the antics of Mole, Rat, Badger, and especially Toad and his motorcar. Brian Sibley on the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Wind in the Willows (2008).
22. Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. Milo is bored until he goes through the tollbooth into a world of word play and numerical delights. #21 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
23. Karr, Kathleen. The Great Turkey Walk. In 1860, big, brawny Simon Green, who’s just completed third grade (for the fourth time), sets out to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeys all the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they’ll fetch a big price.
/>24. Kipling, Rudyard. Just So Stories. These stories are good to listen to because Kipling used words in a very poetic, vocabulary-enriching way, even in his prose. The book includes stories such as How the Leopard Got His Spots and How the Camel Got His Hump and others.
25. Konigsburg, E.L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Z-baby likes it because the children are independent, resourceful, and funny and they visit a real museum in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. #7 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list. Z-baby and I discuss the Mixed-Up Files.
26. L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Meg, and Calvin, and Charles Wallace rescue Father from IT. #2 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list. More about Madeleine L’Engle and her wonderful books.
27. Lamb, Charles and Mary. Tales from Shakespeare.
28. Lang, Andrew. The Violet Fairy Book. And all the other multi-colored fairy books.
29. Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. What can I say about the Narnia books that hasn’t already been said. Get all seven of them , read them aloud, listen to them, read them again. #5 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
30. Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking. I like the edition that came out a coupe of years ago with illustrations by Lauren Child for reading aloud because the pictures are delightful and because it’s large and easy to hold. #91 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
31. Lovelace, Maud Hart. Betsy-Tacy. Eldest Daughter was a huge fan of the books of Maud Hart Lovelace, and in fact they took her from childhood into her late teen years along with Betsy and her friends. #52 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
32. Macdonald, Betty. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. If only I had Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle living near-by in her upside-down house to solve all my parenting problems.
33. MacDonald, George. The Princess and the Goblin. Princess Irene and her stout friend Curdie, the miner’s son, must outwit the goblins who live inside the mountain. “I write, not for children, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five.” ~George Macdonald
34. Milne, A.A. Winnie-the Pooh. Every child should read or hear read this classic story of Christopher Robin and his Bear of Very Little Brain, Pooh. #26 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
35. Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. Read aloud or listen to the Focus on the Family radio dramatized version. #8 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
36. Nesbit, Edith. Five Children and It. Predecessor to the stories by Edward Eager and other magical tales.
37. Norton, Mary. The Borrowers. Little people live inside the walls and nooks of an English house and only come out at night to “borrow” things that the people don’t use or need anymore. The story in the book(s) is much better than the movie version.
38. O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. Karana, a native American girl, is accidentally left alone on an island off the coast of California, and she must use all her wits and ingenuity to survive. #45 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
39. Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terebithia. Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke become friends and imagine together a land called Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen. #10 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
40. Pyle, Howard. Otto of the Silver Hand. Another tale of the Middle Ages about courage and dealing with suffering and cruelty.
41. Pyle, Howard. The Adventures of Robin Hood.
42. Pyle, Howard. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.
43. Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. Another good dog story. #34 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
44. Salten, Felix. Bambi. Bambi. A little fawn grows into a handsome stag. You can a Kindle edition of this translated classic for free.
45. Serrailer, Ian. The Silver Sword, or Escape from Warsaw.Best World War II story for children ever. Pair it with The Ark for a study of refugees during and after the war in Europe.
46. Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. A horse story told from the point of view of a Victorian working horse.
47. Sidney, Margaret. Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. A bit cloyingly sweet for some adult readers, but children love the story of the five little Pepper children and their cheerfulness in the midst of poverty.
48. Speare, Elizabeth. The Bronze Bow. Adventure story that takes place during the time of Jesus’s incarnation. Daniel barJamin and his friends Joel and his twin sister Malthace must choose between rebellion and hatred for the Roman conquerors and the way of following this man Jesus, who preaches love and forgiveness.
49. Streatfeild, Noel. Ballet Shoes. Three sisters—Pauline, Petrova, and Posie— are orphans who must learn to dance to support themselves when their guardian disappears. #78 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
50. Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships before Troy. The story of the Iliad (Trojan War) retold for children with beautiful illustrations by Alan Lee.
51. Tolkien, JRR. The Hobbit. Our read aloud experiences with The Habbit are chronicled here and here and here and here and here and here and here. #14 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
52. Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins, the book,isn’t the same as the movie, and you may or may not like both. I do, but in different ways.
53. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Every boy, at east, should read or listen to Tom Sawyer.
54. White, E.B. Charlotte’s Web. #1 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.
55. Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods. #19 on Fuse #8’s Top 100 Children’s Novels list.

Yikes, I left off some really good read aloud books, but I was limited to 55. So check out the Fuse #8 list (not technically a read-aloud list, but still a good place to look), and this list from Jim Trelease, this list of favorites at Hope Is the Word, and this list that I made a few years ago. Whatever, you do, though, read some books out loud as a family. It will change your life (as my next-door neighbor used to say about some discovery or activity about once a week.)

Projects, New and Old: January 2011

Jan29

My Bible Reading Project is going pretty well. I’ve read through Genesis, on track to finish Mark this weekend, and several of the Psalms. I also read Galatians, mostly aloud to the urchins, but I can’t say I was very successful in explaining the distinction between keeping the Law for the law’s sake and keeping it out of gratitude for what Christ has done. The urchins stared at me blankly for the most part as I engaged in this lesson in theology for their benefit. Ah, well, push on.

I want to take my old Bible and do this project with it: Blank Bible Project. I can see how this would be really useful—and a way of passing down a legacy to at least one of my children. More detailed instructions on making a blank Bible.

I read Certain Women by Madeleine L’Engle for the Faith N Fiction Roundtable, and I found Ms. L’Engle’s work as satisfying and thoughtful as ever. Come here, or to one of the other participants’ blogs, in February for more discussion of the book and its implications.

Poetry Project: The poems are posting on Fridays for Poetry Friday, and I’m enjoying them, even though we are in the Romantic period right now. I think I’m becoming an anti-Romantic poetry reader.

Newbery Project: I read and reviewed the Newbery Award winner, Moon Over Manifest, this month. I liked it a lot.

Operation Clean House is going nowhere. I haven’t even attempted to put together an Exercise and Diet Project. If anyone know of a way to exercise without actual physical labor being involved, please let me know.

In February, I really want to do more posts for Texas Tuesday and Read Aloud Thursday (to link to Amy’s blog, Hope Is the Word). I also would like to continue my Africa Reading Project, which has gotten off to a good start this year with several posts in January.

Read Aloud Thursday: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Dec10

Z-Baby’s been listening to The Penderwicks this week. Actually the full title is The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy by Jeanne Birdsall.

Me: What did you like about the story?

Z-baby: It was funny when Batty, the little one (she’s only four), is there, and her dog, Hound, eats the map. Then Hound throws up. And Batty points to the throw-up and says, “There’s the map.”
It was just really, really interesting. One reason I listened to it a lot was because I didn’t always finish it.

Me: Which character can you relate to the most? Which Penderwick sister is most like you? Do any of them remind you of your sisters?

Z-baby: I’m probably most like Skye. She’s kind of mischievous, and she’s always peeking (spying) on people and losing her temper. She just does a lot of things I do. Rosalind is a tiny bit like Betsy-Bee. Sometimes she’s a little bossy, and so is Betsy-Bee. Betsy-Bee is also a tiny bit like Batty because Batty is really shy, and so is Betsy-Bee. Betsy-Bee also writes stories like Jane.

Me: What in the story reminds you of your own experiences?

Z-Baby: I’ve burned cookies before! And I’ve probably wished that I didn’t so something, but after a whlie once I get used to it, I’m glad that I did. Skye meets Jeffrey and bumps into him , and at first she wishes that she didn’t. But then later she’s glad that she did.

Me: The title calls Jeffrey a “very interesting boy?” Do you think he’s interesting? What’s interesting about him?

Z-baby: Yes, he’s interesting. His mother wants him to go to military school. And he kind of tells her that he doesn’t want to, but he can’t get that into her head. He wants to be a musician, not a military person.

Me; Anything else you want to tell me?

Z-baby: It’s a really good book, and you should read it or listen to it.

Me: Would you like to listen to the sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street?

Z-Baby: Yes. Get it the next time you go to the library.

Here’s an account of our family’s original introduction to The Penderwicks almost four years ago.

Read Aloud Thursday: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Nov19


Z-Baby has been listening to the audiobook CD version of Kate DiCamillo’s award-winning book about India Opal Buloni, her smiling dog, and her preacher daddy all week long. The narration by Cherry Jones is great, with a thick Southern accent and different voices for all the characters.

Me: What made you laugh in this book? Why?

Z-baby: Well, what was kind of funny was that her dad called her by her middle name, Opal, which was her dad’s mom’s name. And it’s the same with me. I have my dad’s mom’s name for a middle name. And she called the Dewberry boys “bald-headed babies,” and that was kind of funny.

Me: Why do you think Opal wanted to know ten things about her mother? Can you tell what her mother is like from the ten things her father describes to her? Do you think that ten things can really describe a whole person?

Z-baby: Not really. If Daddy told me things about you and I had never seen you, I probably wouldn’t really know what you were like. But she probably wanted to know because most people want to know about their own mom.

Me: What else might Opal want to know about her mother? What else would you like to know?

Z-baby: She would want to know where her mom is and why did she go away. I would, too. Also, what color were her eyes? And was she a girly-girl or a tomboy? I would want to know a lot of things.

Me: Do you think you’d like to eat a Littmus Lozenge? Why or why not?

Z-baby: I don’t know. Probably, because I’d like to see what they mean by it makes them feel sad.

Me: Opal believes that life is like a Littmus Lozenge – that it’s sweet and sad all mixed up together and hard to separate out. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Z-baby: No, I don’t believe that. Life isn’t always sweet, and life isn’t always sad. And I’ve never experienced sweet and sad mixed together.

Me: At the end of the story, Opal seems to accept that her mother is not coming back. Why is this an important part of the story? What is something difficult in your life that you’ve had to accept?

Z-baby: A lot of times when somebody doesn’t have somebody and then they want that person, in the story they do get the person back. But it’s important that you listen and know that Opal’s mom isn’t coming back. Sometimes I ask my brothers or sisters to please do something for me, but they don’t. And I just have to accept that they’re not going to do it.

Me; Who was your favorite of Opal’s friends?

Z-baby: Probably Sweetie Pie Thomas. She’s five years old, and she invites Opal to her sixth birthday party. When Opal comes out of the pet store, she sees Sweetie Pie, and they talk about things.

Me: What kind of people do you think would enjoy this story?

Z-baby: The reason I listen to my audiotapes over and over again is that sometimes there’s something in it that I don’t understand the first time. But then when I listen again, I do understand. And people who like to listen to stories over and over would like this story because there’s always more interesting stuff there to hear.

Scholastic Discussion Questions for Because of Winn-Dixie.
More educational resources for Because of Winn-Dixie.
Because of Winn-Dixie Teacher’s Guide.

Read Aloud Thursday: Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

Oct29

Z-Baby (age eight) has been listening all week to Betsy-Tacy on CD’s. As far as I can tell this first book in the series is the only one that is available in audiobook form, but Z-Baby would very much like for someone to record the other books in the series so that she can listen to them.

Me: So what have you been listening to and what did you like about it?

Z-Baby: Well, I’ve been listening to Besty-Tacy over and over again. Probably what I like the best about it is that in every chapter something happens. Some audiotapes nothing happens, and it’s boring.

Me: Tell me one of their adventures.

Z-Baby: One of them is called “Betsy Meets Tacy,” and that’s the first one. Betsy has her nose pasted against the window, and she saw a little girl step out of the new house. That was Tacy, but she didn’t know it. Tacy went up on a hill and stared into the black. Betsy knew just how she felt because she thought the girl wanted to know what this place was like. Betsy asked to go outside to meet the girl, and Julia helped Betsy get dressed. But when Tacy saw Betsy, she ran away because Tacy was bashful. But Tacy called out “Tacy,” and Betsy thought she was calling her a name. Betsy finds out Tacy’s name in the next chapter.

Me: Do you have a friend like Tacy?

Z-Baby: Unfortunately, I don’t really. None of my friends are really shy and bashful.

Me: If Tacy is shy and bashful, what is Betsy like?

Z-Baby: Betsy always wears braids, and she is kind of plump. She’s usually the one that makes up games and stories.

Me: Did you hear anything in the book that you would like to do?

Z-Baby: I would like to float up on a feather.

Me: ?????

Z-Baby: Just listen to the book and you’ll find out.

Me: Anything else you want to tell us about this book?

Z-Baby: I like it, and it’s interesting. I would play with Betsy and Tacy if they lived here because everyone on my block isn’t my age so I really can’t play with anyone on my block.

Read Aloud Thursday: A Pumpkin a Day

Oct8

So to celebrate October, I checked out a bunch of pumpkin books from the library, and we’re reading through them –one a day.

On Sunday night, we read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara. In this story, Charlie’s teacher Mr. Tiffin has his first grade class guess how many seeds will be inside three pumpkins: one small, one medium-sized, and one large.

On Monday morning, before cutting our two pumpkins, we named them Charlie and Sally, and we measured their circumference and height and counted the ribs on the side of each pumpkin. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? told us that more ribs means more seeds. We each tried to draw one of the pumpkins. Then we opened up our little pumpkins, scooped out all the seeds, and cooked the pumpkin in the oven. We used the cooked pumpkin to make two pumpkin pies —which disappeared before I could get a picture of them. Also on Monday, we read Pumpkin Town by Katie McKy, and all of us, even twelve year old Karate Kid, enjoyed the story of a pumpkin vine gone wild that takes over the town.

On Tuesday, Z-baby (age 8) and I read half of the easy reader Oh My Pumpkin Pie by Charles Ghigna. It’s OK for an easy read, but the problem with the easy readers for Z-Baby is that they’re much too silly and immature for her to enjoy them or become absorbed in them. She’s listening to Anne of Green Gables and Ballet Shoes. But her reading level is on par with Oh My Pumpkin Pie, a cute book but not terribly interesting for an intelligent eight year old. I haven’t figured out what to do about this issue.

On Wednesday, we finished reading Oh My Pumpkin Pie, and I read Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper to Karate Kid and Z-baby. The illustrations in this particular book are beautiful. I suggested that the urchins try copying one of the illustrations, but Karate Kid said that he couldn’t. Z-Baby, however, made an attempt. I asked the kids if they’d rather make pumpkin soup or pumpkin butter. Of course they went for the sweet stuff. We used this recipe for the pumpkin butter.

IMG_0331

We also roasted the pumpkin seeds. It was easy. I washed the seeds, poured melted butter over them, and salted them with seasoned salt. Then I put them in the oven at a low temperature, about 200 degrees, for about 0 to 30 minutes. The urchins all tried the seeds, but the only one who really liked them was Karate Kid.

Today we’ll read another pumpkin book, but we’ve run out of pumpkin from our two pumpkins to cook. I’ll either need to buy more pumpkins or buy some canned pumpkin if we’re to have more cooking adventures.

Hope Is the Word sponsors and hosts Read Aloud Thursday.

Read Aloud Thursday: A Murder for Her Majesty

Oct1

IMG_0309A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner. Alice witnesses the murder of her musician father in Elizabethan England, and she runs away to hide from his murderers in York. There she becomes friends with the boys in the cathedral choir and joins the choir herself disguised as a boy. Can she remain hidden even though one of the murderers, Father Cooper, works at the cathedral, and even though the murder may have been committed by order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth herself?

Me: Are you enjoying our read aloud book?

Betsy-Bee (10): Yes. It always seems as if these books are sort of boring at the beginning, but then when you get into them they get more interesting. This one is more interesting because it’s about kids, not grownups.

Me: We haven’t quite finished the book. What do you think is going to happen?

BB: Well, Alice just got kidnapped by Father Cooper and the others, and she told them that she told her music teacher everything. So they’re going to keep her alive until they check on that. But she really told Geoffrey about everything, and Geoffrey and the other choir boys are going to tell Master Kenton. I don’t think that Master Kenton will believe them at first, but they’ll do something to make him believe. Then, they’ll have a grown-up to help them rescue her.

Me: What do you think will happen, Z-baby?

Z-Baby (8): In all those books like that there’s always a happy ending.

BB: Everybody know that it’s going to be a horrible book otherwise.

Me: Don’t bad things ever happen in books?

BB: Yeah, sometimes bad things happen, but it always turns out happy in the end. Unless it’s a horrible book.

Me: Well, if you already know how it will end, then what makes it interesting?

Z-baby: Well, all the chapters end with this Big Wondering, and you want to know what’s going to happen next.

BB: And if you start a book you have to finish it to know for sure what will happen. But some books are so boring that you don’t even care about what will happen next.

Me: What do you think is the most importatn part of this book, A Murder for Her Majesty, the characters, the plot (story) or the ideas?

BB: I think it’s a kind of good idea because it’s about a girl who dresses up like a boy to save her life because she’s being chased by murderers. I would never think of that idea, but if it was to save my life, then it would be scary, but I would do it.

Me: Do you think you could get away with pretending to be a boy?

BB: I’ve tried before, and I don’t think so. If it were a boy dressing me up to look like a boy then maybe I would. Maybe it’s because I have long hair.

Me: Well, she cut her hair. Would you cut off your hair to save your life?

BB: I’d do almost anything to save my life.

Me: What about the setting for this book? It’s in a cathedral. Have you ever been in a cathedral?

BB: No, it’s a big, big church.

Me: Would like to visit a cathedral?

BB: Only with my friends.

Me: What about singing in a cathedral choir?

BB: I only like dancing in front of people, not singing.

Me: And what’s your favorite word that you learned from the book?

BB (retorted): It’s NOT my favorite word. I get annoyed by that word “retorted” because the author uses it over and over. It’s weird.

Me: Anything else?

BB: Well, I wouldn’t exactly feel very comfortable in a house full of boys. I’d like at least one girl.

Z-baby: All I’d say is that it’s a good book.

If you read closely, you can glean from our conversation that A Murder for Her Majesty has a good, attention-getting plot and premise. The writing is OK, but the overuse of adverbs and synonyms for “said” is a bit annoying. And the setting is interesting. It’s also set around Christmas time, so it would be a good book for reading aloud in December, particularly if Elizabethan times were on the history agenda.

Read Aloud Thursday: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg

Sep24

Z-Baby (8) can’t read very well yet. She reads, but not well enough to enjoy reading the stories that are appropriate for her maturity and intellectual level. We do read to her, but we can’t read to her all day long. So, she has discovered the joy of recorded books. When she’s not doing school or something else that I ask her to do, while she’s playing Barbies and other eight year old games, she’s listening to a book on CD. And she listens to them over and over again. Right now the favorite is the Newbery-award winning book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. For today’s Read Aloud Thursday, I present an interview with Z-baby on her favorite listening experience. FYI, the story is about a brother and sister, Jamie and Claudia, who run away from home and hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, they try to solve a mystery concerning Michaelangelo and a small statue.

How many times have you listened to From the Mixed-Up Files?
Z: I’ve listened to it whole twice. Parts, three times. I’m listening to it again today.
(Editors’s note: It’s been more like ten or twelve times at least. Z-baby isn’t very good at estimating.)

What do you like about the story?
Z: I don’t know. It’s just interesting. First of all, I like it when stories are really long.

Who’s your favorite–Jamie or Claudia?
Z: Jamie, because he’s funny. My favorite part is when Jamie says, ” You said it. You said it.”

Why does Claudia pick Jamie to run away with?
Z: Because he can keep quiet, and he’s rich. And he has a radio.

Why does Claudia enjoy planning?
Z; Because it’s a secret. And it’s fun to keep secrets.

How do you think Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid felt when Claudia and Jamie ran away?
Z: Worried. Scared.

Would you like staying in the Metropolitan Museum? What would you like to see there? What section of the museum would you like to explore?
Z: Yes. I would want to see all the paintings by Leonardo da VInci.
(At this point in the interview, Betsy-Bee horned in even though Z-baby was insisting that this was her book interview.)
Betsy-Bee (10): I would want to go around and look at everything, not just stand and look at one thing.

How do Claudia and Jamie get more money?
Z: They took a bath in the fountain, and people tossed change in the fountain. They could find the coins and get more money.
BB: I didn’t hear that part.

What do you think Claudia was running away from?
Z: She wanted them to appreciate her. She didn’t feel bad exactly; she just wanted her family to think she was special.

She said she wanted to go back home “different.” How did she want to be different?
Z: She wanted to be a heroine.

What is a heroine?
Z: A hero
BB: It’s a girl hero.
Z: Sometimes it’s a person who saves people.
BB: It can be a hero that is nice to someone.
Z: Or it can be somebody who does something special and good. Or does something important.

Claudia says, “When you hug someone, you learn something else about them. An important something else.” What do you think she means?
Z: She means you just get to know them.
BB: When you hug someone, you get to know them, and they’ll like you. You get to know them better because they’re happy, and they’ll tell you more things, I guess.

Why do Mrs. Frankweiler and the children get along so well?
Z: Because both of them have secrets.
BB: Because I think that they were happy that she had a sketch of the angel, and that was her secret. They might have been scared of her, but then they shared a secret.

What would you say to make other kids want to read this book?
Z: I would say that it’s very interesting and exciting. It just has a lot of meaning. When it starts out, you might not think so, but it really is interesting.
BB: But a little word of advice, don’t listen to it over and over again because your family might get tired of it.

HT to Scholastic’s Discussion guide for some of the questions used here.