Little plug for the kiddo.

My 9 year old, Anna, is doing Jump Rope for Heart, earning money for the American Heart Association.



Please consider donating what you can to her cause! Thank you! :) 

http://honor.americanheart.org/site/TR/JumpforHeart/SWA-SouthWestAffiliate?px=3227618&pg=personal&fr_id=1685

Miss Anna, mystery lover

I am a water scavenger.  I hunt throughout my house and find the opened-but-not-finished bottles my kids got into today.  And I finish them.  They wake up in the morning with no clue what has happened to the bottle they left out yesterday...  They think the water goblins came in again and took them.  MUAHAHAHAHA!

OK, that sounds so much more interesting than it is.  I only said that because I was thirsty and my bottle was empty.  I put it in the recycling bin and found a couple half-finished bottles on the table.  And took them.  Because walking downstairs to the garage to get a brand new one was too hard.

Yes, I said recycle.  You don't?  Earth hater.  Can't talk to you anymore.  (Or something...)

Anyhoo, I was up and discovered an Encyclopedia Brown book on my counter.  Miss Anna (8) has been at it again.  She finished the first one she found in a day and has moved on.  I'm thinking she likes these mystery books and she likes scary stories, so maybe it's time we move her along to some better things.  If Encyclopedia Brown can be devoured in a day's time, maybe she's ready for bigger stuff.  Things written for older audiences.

I debated Nancy Drew a bit, but a boy always comes to save the day in the end, so I'm not so sure I like that idea creeping into my daughter's just-starting-to-notice-boys brain.  She does not need to be saved by some man.  No thanks.

Ideas, anyone?  I really enjoyed Mary Higgens Clark, Agatha Christie, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and John Grisham, but I'm trying to remember how old I was when I began reading them.  I'm sure she can read the words and follow the stories, for the most part...  but I may have to read along with her and be sure there are not any scenes little eyes don't need to read.  Hmm.

I'm not one who subscribes to "intended age ranges" on books, I'll put that out there.  If it catches the kid's attention and makes them find a love of reading (and in my daughter's case, writing as well!), I'm all for it.  As long as we're not talking adult material in the hands of a child, of course.  ;)

I do have my limits.

Miss Anna and the ghost story

I was hanging out at a friend's house after work, with the kiddos, and it was getting late.  Anna had a falling out with the little boy there, rushed down the stairs in a fury and demanded we go home.  "Because of him!" She screamed, pointing at the other kid.

I calmed her down, we dealt with the issue that caused the unhappiness, and told her I was not ready to leave yet.  She did not have to go back upstairs, she could stay with the grown ups if she wanted, but I was not going anywhere yet.  She got all flustered and upset, then I offered to find her something to read on my Kindle.

She asked to read one of my stories, so I pulled it up for her.  She read until we left last night, asking periodic questions that impressed my friends, "What does 'subsequently' mean?"...  Mostly, this was impressive because she is 8 and didn't spell it as well, and ask how to say it.  Apparently my answer was also awesome, "As a result of something else happening, something new will happen.  So, you hit your brother and subsequently were sent to your room.  Make sense?"  She nodded and continued on.

She's still not done, but she's spending her free Sunday morning sitting with my Kindle in the living room, trying to finish the story before I abduct the Kindle and head back to work again.

Ah, kids.  What fun!  Also, even if it's a little out of their official reading level, it doesn't mean they won't LOVE it and follow it anyway!  The story she's reading is geared toward high school age, give or take a couple years.