No surprise here that this was in my book stack this week. If you missed the interview on Ruth Ayres Writes, click here. If you missed the way John influenced my thinking about notebooks, click here.
Sometimes when I post oldies, I feel late to the party. Oh well. These are BIG right now around my house. We made Hannah wait until she was in third grade to read them. Stephanie read them the minute she turned eight, as a second grader. And last week I found number two under Sam’s pillow. (He’s in kindergarten.)
“You’ve been reading these?” I asked.
“Ohhhh yeah, they’re really good,” he said, crawling under his covers to the foot of his queen sized bed. He reappeared with the first book, sticky notes crinkled out of the edges, and a big smile. “Look, I marked the best spots to share with you. This is really funny, Mom. It’ll crack you up.”
I’m not sure if I was in more shock that I totally missed him reading the first book (I thought I was actively involved in his reading life) or because he is the kind of reader who uses sticky notes to mark passages or because he used the phrase, crack you up, which is the cherry on top that makes this kid my child. Regardless, the passages did crack me up and he has moved on to book three. (I’m not quite sure how late he stays up reading.)
Stephanie is on book five, and Hannah decided to reread them, leaving notes for Andy on the cover of each….which has pushed him into reading them. See? They’re big around here right now.
I’ve read this eight times in the last three days. Not kidding. It seems to be a new favorite. I love it because of the main character. He’s a boy genius and totally into inventions. As a writer, it inspires me when it comes to character development & I can see myself using this text in writing workshop next year. I appreciate the way Randy’s character traits help drive the plot. It is a neat & tidy package for kids to study and learn the way a character’s traits influence plot, setting, and conflict.
Hop over to Teach Mentor Texts and join It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I hope you are having a very good holiday. (I’m glad you’re here…even on your holiday. I had an unexpected hiatus from the computer, so that’s the reason there were no posts on Friday and Saturday. Sometimes it’s good just to be away — even if it is unexpected. So in the spirit of being thankful for what I can do and not feeling guilty over what I don’t do, I’m not going to apologize, because I’m trying not to feel sorry.)
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The story about your son made me giggle. Too cute! And I’m adding Randy Riley to my TBR. Thank you!
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I’ll be checking out Randy Riley. Thanks!
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The Diary books have been bif favourites with muy class this year. Some are even writing in this style. I will have to read one tghis summer!
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Love the sweet anecdote about your son reading. I used to love to stay up late reading. That’s the best time to read, when everything is quiet and you can be completely lost in the book…although, lately, if I try to stay up late to read, I end up falling asleep before I want to! I just added Randy Riley to my TBR, too. Looks great! And it’s from Candlewick, usually can’t go wrong with Candlewick. 🙂
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I love the way your son hid the books under his pillow and under his blanket! I was a kid who read every night in bed too. Sometimes my mom would leave my light on for a while for me to read, sometimes I had the flashlight under my covers. Either way, I was GOING to read! I love the sticky notes too! That “cracked me up!” I have the Wimpy Kid books on my summer reading list. My son has read them all and loves them. Guess I will be late to that book party too. 🙂
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You crack me up, Ruth ! Thanks for the tip about Randy Riley…it will be in my stack for the beach ! xo nanc
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Thanks for the great idea – well thank Sam for me. My students are working on book reviews to make a summer read list and I have several who are still not engaged in reading so are stuck. They don’t want to write reviews because they don’t want to read in the summer. ( I am still working on them- it will change!)
I have not read The Dairy of the Wimpy Kids since my students read them all the time – have left that to them. I realized I could have them write reviews for me (a real reason to write) so I know which ones to read this summer and why. I could have them mark the funny parts that they think I might like. Perfect for these last days of school. Re reading, writing and reviewing to help your poor teacher along. Thanks
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Aw, I could picture Sam (whom I’ve never met) popping up from his covers with the book. Love it!
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Great fun to hear about the stickies! He is definitely your son! Thanks for the bit at the end about Randy Riley. Looks fun for the young ones. Happy Holiday!
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How delightful – loved Sam’s comments “marking them with sticky notes” and “it’ll crack you up” and to hide them under his pillow. Too cute and funny – have you created a reading monster? Good for you and good for your kids!
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