Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
And a Dragon Brought Us Together (plus the winner of my prize)
My son is not a big reader. He's a typical boy, more given to wrestling and drums than sitting still and reading. Nevertheless, his school has an Accelerated Reader program that requires him to read a certain amount of books each quarter (and take tests to prove he read them ;-) until eighth grade. Each year, it's gotten harder and harder to get him to find a book, and fill that point quota. He's in fifth grade this year, and he started the year with the familiar complaints about AR. Then he came home from the library with a book that he was all excited about.
And I just had to laugh.
Several years ago, I had attended the BEA conference and one of the publishers was handing out a CD sampler of its new releases, in this case young adult books, something I didn't normally read (at the time anyway. Who knew I would end up writing YA for Harcourt four years later). On the drive home, I listened to the CD, mainly because I had finished the book on tape I was listening to and was looking for something new.
Of the five books on the CD, three I didn't like and two I did. I bought both of the ones I liked, so I could find out how they ended. And read one from cover to cover, as engrossed as I would have been with any adult novel. To the point that I put my regular work aside, anxious to get to the next page of the story, to find out how the author would resolve the plot. It was that good, and that well written. I immediately bought a second hardcover copy and donated it to the school library, and told both my kids (at the time my daughter was still in elementary school) that they should read it for AR.
I got the rolled eyes response. No one took me up on the offer. I even put my copy on their beds, offered to read it to them at night. No takers. A year went by. Another. Another. I gave up.
Then my son comes in, four years after I read this book, with the same exact hardcover copy in his hands, exclaiming about this amazing, incredible book he just found in the library.
The book is the The Saint of Dragons, by Jason Hightman, and it's incredible. It's about dragons existing in modern day, and a 13-year-old boy recruited by his father (who has little experience as a dad, so there's a lot about the mending of a rocky relationship) to battle them. Fast-paced, vivid and engrossing, it had me from page one.
I am thrilled to see my son reading this book, sitting down every day to turn a few more pages. Even more thrilled to see the book's check-out card, filled with stamps. The corners of the hardcover are worn, the pages dog-eared. The book has clearly been well-loved and read, over and over.
But the best moment came yesterday when my son came to me and said, "Mom, can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure."
"Do you think you can start reading Saint of Dragons with me at night?" He held the book to his chest. "I'd really like to read it with you."
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "I'd like that, too."
Shirley
PS: The winner of my prize, a copy of THE OTHER WIFE, is Rita! Congrats! Send me your snail at shirley@shirleyjump.com
»
What a great story!
Yours, and you sold me on the book, too -- I'll order copies for all of my nephews for Christmas. :) And I love how this all circled back. How fun!
Sam
Great! I hope they enjoy it as much as my son did!
He has another one out in paperback, Samurai, I think it's called. It's already on the order list at my kid's school. My son is reading fast so he can get to that one, too. :-)
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
That's a great story. My son
That's a great story. My son and I have also found a commonality in our love for books. He's still very young, so I'm still reading picture books to him, but I can't wait for the time when we will be reading these kinds of books!
J.K. Coi
Immortals To Die For
www.jkcoi.com
It is fun, isn't it?
I used to read a lot with my kids when they were little, and read to them at night. When my son drifted away from books, it was such a sad day. But now that he's back, I'm thrilled!
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
Shirley, what a wonderful
Shirley, what a wonderful post! I can't wait to get copies of this book for my daughter and my nephew! I remember when I read The Tale of Despereaux with Brenna when she was in the third grade. Sadly, it was the last book she let me read aloud to her, and it still holds a very fond place in my heart. But I still try to read those books that she gets excited about, and find they're as interesting to me as they are to her.
I remember those books, too, that..
My daughter and I read together (she's now 15). She was cleaning her room and wanted to get rid of them, and I said I'd hold on to them. I can't part with those memories.
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
Confession...
I'll admit that when Caitlin started reading Twilight by Stepanie Myers, I got a second copy for Brenna and borrowed a third copy from the library so that we could all read the book "together." We did the same thing for Myers' second book, Eclipse, and I really loved being able to share in their excitement about the stories.
What a great post!
My son has been too old to read aloud to for years now but we'll read certain books at the same time or back to back so we can discuss.
It doesn't always work out. I hated Harry Potter 7 and he enjoyed it. I enjoyed Eragon and he wouldn't have anything to do with it.
Right now, we're both reading Paul Zindel's The Pigman. I read it when I was in high school, with my eldest son and now with my youngest son.
Things really do circle around!
ani
I remember the Paul Zindel books!
It's always cool when my kids come home with a book I read as a kid. A couple years ago, it was Beverly Cleary. It was like revisiting my childhood to see those books and talk about them with my son. Now that my daughter is getting older, I can hand her my favorite adult books and share those with her. A whole new level of reading!
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
That is a great story!
I still remember my dad reading "Chapter Books" to me before bed when I was little and not easily able to read those yet. For us, it was books about Paddington Bear. I don't remember when we stopped.... Possibly after a few more of my siblings were born. The youngest doesn't remember anything like that, the one closest to me remembers a bit.
Great memories!
I do hope my kids remember when they're older. My favorite book is "I Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. I cried every time I read it to my kids because I could just see them growing up and moving away -- and me thinking how much I'd still love them. And the son at the top of the stairs page...breaks my heart every time. That's my favorite book of all time, even if I can't get through it without choking up.
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
How fabulous!
Thanks for sharing that, Shirley--I do love reading with my kids (and they still love it, too, thankfully!) We're working our way through the Little House books right now, and I'm not sure what we'll pick after that. They're probably a smidge young for the book you and your son are reading, but I've got to make a note of it for when they're older!
Oh, and congrats, Rita!
My daughter loved those..
For a while when she was younger, and we watched the show, too. Then she got too old for them, and moved on to other stuff :-( My son is into adventure books, so it's been harder to find stuff for him. There are more and more books coming out now that are geared toward boys, thank goodness, so he's starting to find things he likes.
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
I read a lot with my kids
I read a lot with my kids while they were growing up. Now I read with my grandsons.
How sweet!
I can't wait for those days, Estella. And I've still got loads of books that I can share with grandkids. Though my daughter is firmly in the "not getting married for a million years" camp right now, LOL.
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
I tried to brainwash my boys
I tried to brainwash my boys at a young age by avoiding toy stores and haunting all of our neighborhood bookstores. So far, it has worked. Every month they each order five Scholastic books from school to supplement what we pick up weekly at Borders. At four and six they love books almost as much as I do! Our current favorite is SkippyjonJones. You don’t have to be six to enjoy a story about a Siamese kittenboy who can’t resign himself to being an ordinary cat.
Oh, I'm very excited to be the winner of a copy of "The Other Wife". Thank you, Shirley! I've read your "Really Something" at least three times :-)
How cool, Rita!
About the bookstores and Scholastic! I always order from Scholastic and love when my kids get that flyer. It's so great, because it's a win-win for our school, too. And I love going to the bookfair. I swear, I come out with more books than the kids do!
Congrats on winning!! I hope you enjoy THE OTHER WIFE! :-)
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
In Stores Now: CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS
www.shirleyjump.com
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