We love reading aloud. I’m an avid fan of Read Aloud Revival and Sarah Mackenzie’s podcast. I even bought a bag! I trust her recommendations. And when I hear others recommending the same thing, I find I just have to check it out.
So we did. Got book 1 and book 2 from the library, then purchased the whole set because its that good. And worth having around.
A professor from graduate school said, “a part of a good education is knowing what not to read”. I’ve tried to live that, since I will often read whatever is before me. I’ve even let Little Man talk me into books I regretted…. but I told him the other day that I’ve only got so much time and energy for reading aloud and I was only going to read aloud the good stuff. He took it well.
What we are loving about these books
Ah, where to begin. First, Peterson has found a good balance between campy humor and epic/high fantasy. He does a good job of creating a world that feels so very complete, with footnotes referring to other reference material and background information about situations, writings and facts. His characters are memorable. There is the larger story arc that spans all 4 books, but you also get to see each character have their own story arc as he or she grows up. We love seeing characters that grow up! Its growth and depth. Lastly, Peterson is great with place names.
These stories have captured all of our hearts (maybe not Mr Wigglesworth… he is still into Hippos Go Berserk, such riveting action).
We’ve cried. We’ve laughed. And we spent our money on the books. That is the final and ultimate proof that we love them.
