Clearly, I love to read. Chances are, if you're reading this, you do too...or else you wouldn't be here, as I tend to get rather wordy. The affinity that I feel for characters in books often surpasses that which I feel for people in reality. I prefer to live in a fictional world with my "friends" than in reality about 90% of the time.
A love for reading -be it for the same reasons as mine or not- is something that I hope to pass on to my kids. A local library can take you places your bank account cannot. Sure, it would always be better to travel to the Andes than to read about them, but we can't all afford that. Yes, it's preferable to see the Louvre in person but, until you've saved up the thousands of dollars necessary to visit Paris, it ain't gonna happen. Books give us a passport to the world - the one we actually inhabit, but also to the one of our imaginations. And that is something that money can't buy.
Every once in a while, my kids will read a book that they later recommend to me. So far, these suggestions have been easy reads, as Frick n Frack are still growing and developing as readers themselves. But a book seeming "basic" is not grounds for dismissal. Some of the greatest pieces of literature are the simplest ones. More importantly, though, I always want to keep those lines of communication open with my kids, particularly when it comes to them sharing their lives, passions, and interests with me. That is a gift.
Since they were wee sprouts, their grandma (my mom) has been reading the Magic Tree House series to my kids. As they got older, they branched out further to read them independently. It was one of these books that my son recommended that I read.
An offshoot of the original Magic Tree House series, the Merlin Missions still feature the brother-sister main characters Jack and Annie. Fans of Arthurian legend will appreciate the nods to Camelot with characters like Merlin and Morgan popping up here and there throughout the various series, all penned by Mary Pope Osborne. Full of adventure, action, and riddles, young readers enjoy the ride alongside Jack, Annie, and their friends. There is very little exposition, which allows the plot to move along at a quick clip. For those of us used to reading classic literature, this is a welcome reprieve. Adults can expect to read one of these books in maybe an hour(ish).
While it may be easy to do so, I would caution against dismissing these books as easy. At first glance, they certainly seem to be just that (remember the target audience!), but I would argue that they are quite thoughtfully crafted. They introduce young readers to a broad array of highbrow literary themes, characters, history, and cultures. To do so in a succinct way that appeals to children is nothing short of genius. Hats off to Mary Pope Osborne for scratching the surface in ways that introduce kids to these concepts, inviting them to dive deeper into the topics that interest them.
When my son asked me to read Summer of the Sea Serpent after he had finished it, I was touched. Not only was he asking me to share an experience with him, it gave us something to discuss, a topic that interested him. I am honored that he wanted to share that with me and look forward to all future recommendations from my kids...even if they are not books that I would likely pick up on my own.
