We’re back into the term-time routine and our schedule feels fuller than ever. No matter how busy we are as a family, we always make time to read. This mean everyone has a book at hand that I know will engage them. Sometimes I have to do an extra trip to the library, but it’s so worth it when I find a child curled up somewhere, lost in a book. Reading is a priority around here. So, these are the books we’re reading this week:
Read Aloud
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
We all loved the first book in The Wild Robot series. I didn’t think my girls would engage with a book about a robot, but I was proven wrong by this widely recommended series. The first book in the series follows Roz as she adapts to her surroundings on a remote island where she washes up. I found the book deeply impacting in the way that it teaches us about our own humanity through the robot adapting and discovering herself. There were lots of laughs and even more gasping and a few tears. We started listening to this sequel on audiobook while on a recent road trip and then picked it up as our read aloud when we got home. There is added motivation to make our way through the series as The Wild Robot movie is released in September this year. We have the date marked on our family calendar!
6-year-old
Billie B Brown: The Cutest Pet Ever by Sally Rippin
The popularity of this series speaks louder than anything I could write here. All three of my daughters have started their independent reading journey reading the Billie B Brown books. These stories about a young girl navigating the joy and complexities of school, family and friends are so relatable and engaging for a young readership. It feels like there is room for many more books in this early reader space but for now, I will give thanks for Billie B Brown!
8-year-old
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable
Miss 8 always has a graphic novel on the go. Occasionally she will pick up a chapter book but graphic novels are still her go-to and I’m just happy she is reading. This one is a winner for her as she has an enduring dream of being a cat-owner despite my husband’s hard “no” on the subject. Katie finds herself facing a boring summer without her friends until she lands a cat-sitting job for her upstairs neighbour. Things get interesting when she realises the lady owns 217 cats! She also suspects this neighbour might be a super villain. A fun read that hooked both my eldest girls, who read it within two days of collecting it from the library.
9-year-old
A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic by Shivaun Plozza
Miss 9 is never happier than when she’s reading a good witchy tale. This one is about Willla who thinks she is an ordinary girl, only to discover she has magic powers. Having lived between two warring witch covens her whole life she doesn’t even like witches. Now she must choose a side or she will explode. It’s all at stake in this one!
Mum
The Librarians of Rue de Picardie by Janet Skeslien Charles
This is the second time I have borrowed this one from the “Read Now” section at the library and had to return it before I was finished. So, I’m reading it in stages. I really should be able to read a book in 10 days but this one isn’t a gripping page turner, despite being a good read and an interesting story. Based on true historical events, the narrative follows two timelines and details the experience of Jessie Carson, a children’s librarian from New York. Jessie joins the committee of American women who are helping to rebuild communities devastated by World War 1. An informative and eye-opening read with a universal message of the way war destroys the lives of the innocent.
What are you reading this week? Let me know if you’ve read any of these or if you find these book suggestion posts helpful!
