School’s Out– Make Time for Family Read-Aloud Time!

Some of my happiest memories involve books.  When my children were young, an eagerly anticipated camping trip turned into days of torrential rain and we spent much of our time snuggled in the back of the covered, dry, pick-up truck reading aloud The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars.  We would hop out, cook our dinner, then hop back in to read, hike a very little bit, when the sun peeked through, and then snuggle and read.  I have to say we spent more time reading than anything else and it is still one my happiest camping memories.  For such a long time we talked in headlines like Petie Burkis, one of those sweet inside jokes born through bonding with a book.

These are some of my favorite read-alouds:

1. Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
2. Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
3. Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
4. The Limit by Kristin Landon
5. Masterpiece by Elise Broach
6. Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart (Read the recently released prequel first - The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict)
7. The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander (a bit slow starting but don’t give up!)
8. On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells
9. Frindle by Andrew Clement 
10. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Let’s hear it for reading aloud.  I could go on and on listing my favorites.  Please share some of yours.

-Anita