It was a bumper evening for reading today. It has been a lovely but very busy weekend, and so bedtime began at 6pm with a bath and then stories in the big bed. First up A had her chapter of Harry Potter. C is really unimpressed by HP so far - he got it in his head that he would not like it, and will not be jollied into listening. We have now decided that when A has her chapter of HP, C will read a Chapter of Beast Quest with Mummy.
We bought the Beast Quest series (well the first 18(!) of them anyway) from The Book People a while ago. C was not really quite ready for them, and so they've been waiting on the shelf for him. We had read the first few chapters of Book 1 (Ferno the Fire Dragon) and tonight we read Chapter 4. I decided to chance my arm and asked C if he wanted to read some of it, so we read a page each and then swapped. He is getting much better at being able to follow the words on the page. I think it is a big step for any beginning reader - going from books with several sentences on the page to a lengthy block of text with relatively small print. He has to follow with his finger, and occasionally gets confused with clauses in some of the longer sentences, but was motivated to continue reading. It would be great if he continues to enjoy the series, since there are plenty more to read!
I am currently reading the Game of Thrones series by George R.R Martin, and really enjoying it. I rarely stray into the world of fantasy fiction, but tend to be glad when I do. I really loved The Assasin's Apprentice trilogy by Robin Hobb, which I read a few years ago on the recommendation of a similarly non-fantasy reading friend. The Beast Quest books strike me as Game of Thrones for small boys. There's something very appealing in the idea of setting out on an epic journey with a job to be done, and C and I are both quite looking forward to finding out what happens to Tom as he goes to do battle with the wizard Malvel. Well, actually, I am more looking forward to finding how Tyrion Lannister gets on as the latest Hand of the King, but I am fairly certain that Game of Thrones is deeply unsuitable for a boy of five...
Have you read the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce? About a girl who pretends to be a boy so she can learn to be trained as a knight? They start off in a magical Harry Potter type school, then the last two books are quest stories. They're YA, and get mildly racy in the second book, but A might like them when she's older.
ReplyDeleteOoh, no, they sound good. Thank you for the recommendation, will keep an eye out, and maybe get them for the "save for later" shelf.
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