Who doesn't love a good mystery story? I love the A to Z Mysteries because they're exactly the right level for my book club. The characters are fun, the mysteries are engaging, and the fact that we have a whole series of twenty-six books to read makes The Bald Bandit an easy choice for me. Even though the book is over twenty-five years old, it doesn't feel dated. I'm sure we'll have fun with it! Clues Fingerprints, shoe prints, bits of fabric--they're all clues! Let's have some fun with them. We'll draw the outline of our foot and try to make it look like a footprint. We'll play with thumb prints and try to look around us to see what signs we can find of the other people who live at home with us. Mysteries A storytelling worksheet is a great way to explore a rough outline of a story. I will give the children the framework of a … [Read more...]
The Talking T-Rex
We've read two books from the A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy; we're all set to read another!Before picking up The Talking T-Rex, I wondered whether it would be a scary book--that's what the cover leads us to believe. But it's not! We know from the very beginning that the T-rex is a machine; in fact, we first see it before it is assembled. The mystery revolves around the T-rex, yes, but it's about who stole money from the T-rex's belly. It isn't about a T-rex going rogue! And the simplicity of the story makes it a perfect book club read. Inventions A talking t-rex is an exciting invention! If you could invent anything at all, what would you create and why? How would it work? Alliteration 'Alliteration' is a word that I introduce to my book club over and over again because it's such fun to play with! The Talking T-Rex. The Canary Caper. … [Read more...]
The Canary Caper
It's been 25 years since The Canary Caper was published, and it's still such a joy to read! We read the first of the A to Z Mysteries, The Absent Author, in April 2021. When I met the some of the same children again in June, several of them were devouring the rest of the series. I'm now looking forward to introducing the series to a new set of enthusiastic 7- and 8-year-olds!As I read The Canary Caper, I was struck by many little details. On the one hand, I was upset about the animals in the circus. Of course, this is something we will discuss at my book club--animal rights. On the other hand, I was delighted that Ruth Rose pooh-poohs the idea of becoming a car salesman because she wants to be President! And then, she rubs it in by adding that it's saleswoman, not salesman. Reading the book with my book club is going to be such a … [Read more...]
On Reading a Series, Reading Snobbery and Binge Reading
I often come across parents who complain that their children read only Geronimo Stilton, or only Wimpy Kid. Or only Dork Diaries, or ... what else? If social media had existed when I was a child, parents would probably have been fretting about children reading only Enid Blyton--except for the fact that snobbery around the act of reading is a real thing. It is considered far more acceptable to read Enid Blyton (never mind the gender stereotypes and racism--we turned out okay, right?) than to read Geronimo Stilton. Here's why I think that's so.Enid Blyton was British. On the whole, there was (is?) derision of everything but the Queen's English. Only proper English, thank you very much, no Americanisms, and definitely no slang.Morals. Yes, parents are obsessed with reading being educational. (I know, not all parents. I know. My parents, for instance, weren't.) Good girls and boys do … [Read more...]
The Absent Author
The Absent Author. The Bald Bandit. The Haunted Hotel. The Zombie Zone. Isn't this the kind of series you could see any child longing to collect?Book series are special and that's why, for each reading programme, I try to introduce at least one. They're sure shot ways of getting children hooked to reading! During my first reading programme, I introduced the hOle books with Trouble with Magic. During the second, it was the Amelia Bedelia series. Now, it's the A to Z Mysteries.Dink invites his favourite author, Wallis Wallace, to Green Lawn, and joy of joys! He receives a note from the author accepting the invitation! Unless he's kidnapped, Wallis Wallace promises to come to the Book Nook and meet Dink and his friends. When he doesn't show up, Dink has a mystery on his hands - the mystery of the absent author!Meticulously, Dink, Josh and Ruth go through Wallis Wallace's itinerary, trying … [Read more...]