Thursday, September 8, 2011

Reading Aloud Challenge: September 8

Dale took the week off work, and our read-aloud time has been sketchy.  We decided to basically put off school (except for some review stuff) for another week, and get serious next week.  So hopefully, my report will be more impressive on the 15th.  I also didn't quite get through everyone who signed last week.  I'll do that shortly.  (Sure... take a week off and lots of people participate!)

Here is what we've been reading this week.

Banner in the SkyBanner in the Sky.  This definitely turned into a family read-aloud.  We did finish this up last week, and this was an incredible book.  Lessons upon lessons upon lessons in this one. 



The Endless Steppe: 
Growing Up in SiberiaThe Endless Steppe.  Fabulous book.  Highly recommend it.  This was the one bright spot of my day yesterday.  We're down to about one chapter, and I was tempted to wait to post this until after the kids get up and we get the book finished.  But this way, I get to post about it next week too!  Basic plot summary:  a wealthy Polish Jewish family is banished to Siberia during WWII.  The majority of the story is of them making a new life in Siberia, though you get a little flavor of their life in Poland in the early part of the War, and we're now into post-war times.  Nothing graphic as far as the holocaust, but for the kids who do know about it, there is some serious emotional impact of this family learning the fate of the family they left behind.

Fantastic perspective on World War II.  It seems that most of the stories I've read or seen focus on Western Europe and/or Jewish persecution.  This family isn't really persecuted for being Jewish -- their crime is that they are capitalists.  Coming of age story, set in Siberia...  oh, this is a must-read.

My favorite line, which we ended up paraphrasing yesterday.  I think it is going to become a family classic:
I should have given up when I saw the construction, the blinding rain, the huge number of accidents, the stand-still traffic on I-25.  "But I come from a long line of stubborn idiots."


Charlotte's WebCharlotte's Web.  Okay, so we're still only maybe two chapters into this.  <sigh>

The Golden Goblet (Newbery
 Library, Puffin)Golden Goblet.  <clears throat>  Yeah.  I don't think we're even through the first chapter.

Plans for this coming week?   I'll just copy and paste what I wrote last week.

Finishing up the above.  Richard and Trina will probably start Homer Price.  William and Thomas will be starting  Mara, Daughter of the Nile.  Connor will be starting Number the Stars and The Singing Tree. 

I've continued planning stuff out.  Picked up a book on Egyptian mythology for the younger two to go with Sonlight Core 1. 

How did your week go?  Sign the linky to link up your reading aloud post and I'll definitely come visit your post.   Love having you here... you motivate me when I feel like NOT reading aloud.

To see my first post when this turned into a linky thing, check here.

7 comments:

Cristi said...

I love the line, "I come from a long line of stubborn idiots."

I'll make sure we include The Endless Steppe when we get to WWII (hopefully sometime this spring).

Our Homeschool Reviews said...

We only added one book this week. I'm hoping it will be a good one. Looking forward to what you will be adding.

Michelle Smith said...

I have to confess that I somehow skipped both Banner in the Sky and The Endless Steppe. In fact, I don't believe I've ever heard of the latter book. I will have to make a note of it and look for it our next tour through the WWII time period.

Rodna Allman said...

I'm gonna join this one of these days! lol

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage said...

I read the Golden Goblet with the kids some years ago. It starts really slow; but, once we were into it, we really were into it. Keep plodding through. I think you'll find it interesting as you get farther into the story.

Thanks for dropping by Harvest Lane Cottage.

Jill said...

I really am going to have to look up The Endless Steppe. It sounds really good. Thanks for hosting this again. It really gets me thinking about what I read out loud to my kids.

Jill said...

Ok, I should never post after midnight. I have the wrong link in this week along with forgetting to put my blog name on the linky. I am re signing it so I can get this weeks post up instead of last weeks. Sorry!