Mother’s Day Blues

by Hilde Garcia

“Mommy, can I read you my story? It’s finished. It took me two weeks.”

“Sure, read away.” I always enjoy the words that my daughter weaves together. I listen while I drive choosing that over any music that could be playing on the radio.

“Ok." Victoria reads aloud.  
Disaster at School,
 by Victoria Anne Krol.
It was Monday and winter break had just ended. Percy, Annabeth and Grover were walking back to school. They got to school and started the day normally, but after lunch, Shawn, a kid that was late, cam in just in time for gym class. Shawn was mean and he started picking on Annabeth, Percy and Grover, when the teacher announced that they would be practicing obstacle courses.

Then the teacher asked them to get into 2 separate lines. No one disobeyed either. The teacher explained that they would be racing each other in pairs. Shawn was annoying Annabeth before they started, so I charged him with my sword pen, but he defended himself. I had no idea where he had gotten his sword! The all of a sudden, he disarmed me, then Annabeth mouthed at me, ‘he’s a monster’ and I understood. The monster was about to strike Annabeth when Grover, the satyr kicked it in the bottom with his hoof.

He went sprawling forward and then Annabeth stabbed the monster and it exploded into monster dust. Of course, nobody noticed because the mist-a-magical veil blindfolded them from what happened.”






“Wow,” I say.
Wow indeed. It’s fabulous. Well crafted, a great beginning, captures my interest. I already want to know what will happen next, so she’s hooked me. I feel like I might be an easy audience, a bit biased, but her story stands on its own merit, truly.


Did I mention she’s only in the third grade?

And she wrote her bio too: 
I, Victoria Anne Krol, live in California and am super interested in Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I am very creative and I have a lot of friends.

She writes.

I write.

Maybe we will be a team. She’s asked me, but sometimes I feel that I am not worthy of her and her incredible imagination, which has been untainted by life. I cherish that and protect it for her- electronics are so limited in this house- I swear you’d think we had gone back in time.

On Saturday night, we visited the Iliad Book Store in North Hollywood, CA and closed the place down with a large purchase and children who were reluctant to leave. A breath of fresh air the owner told me. My kids had two friends with them who were also enraptured by the bookstore and it gives me hope that not all has been lost of the electronic generation.

This Mother’s Day, I will be writing with my sweetheart and maybe we will craft our first story together.

Mother’s Day blues for me? Not anymore. It was for a time when I had lost my own mom, but now I have Victoria, and she and I share our love of books and words. My son and his daddy too are bibliophiles and love to write, which surprised my son to find out earlier this year that he could be a published author.

For fun, here are some mother-daughter writing teams.

Enjoy!

Laura Ingalls Wilder was encouraged to write by her daughter Rose Wilder Lane who was a reporter and writer.

Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark have been co-authoring best selling mysteries for over 20 years.

Patricia and Traci Lambrecht, who write under the pen name P. J. Tracy, released Monkeewrench and their next title is Milk Run.

Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer co-authored Between the Lines, a YA book about what happens when happily ever after…isn’t.

Kristina McMorris and her mom, Linda Yoshida, wrote Flaherty’s Crossing.

Phyllis Christine Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast created The House of Night Series.

Blanche Day Manos and Barbara Burgess wrote Grave Shift, a mother-daughter sleuth team.

D. C. Cowan, a mother-daughter team who share the same first and middle initials, have created The Legend of the Black Roses, out on 12/31.

Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees, and Ann Kidd Taylor who writes for Skirt have co-authored, Traveling with Pomegranates.

And because I have a son, not to leave him out, we have Sandra Blakeslee co-writing with her son Matt, The Body has a Mind of Its Own.

So you never know which one of my twins will team up with me.

Who knows, it could be both of them!

Emotional Level vs Reading LevelWhat’s Appropriate for your Reader

Victoria

by Hilde Garcia

Setting: January 26th.  Mother Daughter Book Event at the Flintridge Bookstore.

Our characters:  One very excited young writer, aged 8.  Mom, another writer, as her partner.

Our story:

“Mommy, am I really going to meet writers?”

“Yes, dear.”

“And we can buy the books they wrote?”

"Yep.”

"Yeah, this is the best day ever.”  (She usually says this about four times a week.)

Jenn Resse

Rookie parenting mistake #1: 

Don’t say yes to buying books unless you know they are going to be a match for your child’s emotional level.

We sit at our first table with Jenn Resse, author of Above World.  She has miniature sea horses as her giveaway and book markers   Victoria is in heaven and is mesmerized listening to Jenn speak about her book.  Victoria wants to buy it.

I say yes.  Are you kidding?  I want to read it as well.

Miniature Sea Horses

Even though Victoria is reading on a 4.8 reading level which is several years ahead of her actual grade level, she is still simply an “8 year old.”  She is young and innocent.  She doesn’t watch TV, she still plays with Lincoln Logs, horses, paints, reads, and loves her dolls.

And yet, she has tackled books like Hugo Cabret, the entire Harry Potter Series and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, along with classics like Matilda, Rikki Tikki Tavi, and Black Beauty.

I figure why not.  But something about Jenn’s book upsets her.  And nothing about the story is any scarier than what she’s tackled already.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” My husband snuggles next to her at bedtime to calm my very distraught daughter.

“The book was scary. Aluna almost got eaten by the Great White. And her friend was dead.”  My daughter cries silently.

“But honey, you know it’ make believe.  It’s just a story.  Just like in Harry Potter and all the tragedies that happened to him.”

“But I was sad when those things happened too, like when George is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.”

Emotional level vs reading level.  Hmmm.

My husband and I talked that night.  So why would or how could Above World frighten her so?  I think she really connected with Aluna from the first word on the first page, maybe more than in other stories.  I read the first page and felt Aluna’s power.  She was as real to me as she was to Victoria.  Jenn’s writing is smooth and rich and it can’t help but pull you in.

I was hesitant to have her read the Harry Potter series, even though it’s a favorite of my husband’s and mine, (Our son’s middle name is Harry- no joke and no accident; my daughter’s is Anne for Anne of Green Gables- can you see a theme here?), but she was hooked and there was no stopping Victoria, so against my better judgment, and with a lot of supervision and discussion, we allowed her and her twin brother to finish the series.  Victoria was very upset after she finished reading Book 7 and asked me if I was going to die.

A question I wish I didn't have to answer.

After her sad night with Aluna and Above World, I decided it was time to step back in time a bit when things were a different kind of exciting and scary.  I suggested Caddie Woodlawn, The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Pollyanna, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Nancy Drew, etc.  My daughter was furious.

“Mommy, I am fine.  I am not scared now.  We bought the books. I should get to read them.”

Mind you, she had been our guest blogger on Pen and Ink that week and I had allowed her to hand out my cards with her named penciled in.

“I have to read Above World, please!”

I said, “Not right now.  I want you to read a few other books first and work your way up to this one.”

I figured that would allow her emotional reading level a chance to breathe and recoup from some very adventurous and sad stories.  She proceeded to go back to reading Dr. Seuss and any picture book she could find as if to say, “If I can’t read Above World, then I won’t read anything difficult.”

Ahhhh, parenting, it’s such a fun thing, isn’t it?  But, you know, I don’t regret my decision.  I think she got a bit ahead of herself and she needed time to let her soul catch up to her brain.

My best advice is to know your child.  Until now, I had never restricted titles, but being an expert in this field, (I’ve read everything in YA and below), I knew she was making good choices that she could handle.  When Harry Potter became an interest, I thought well, let’s see how it goes.  My daughter was on fire reading it, discussing it with me, and seemed to be handling it.  But that was all on the surface.

“Honey, I know it is hard to understand, but you need to let your heart catch up to your brain.  I will let you know when you can read your new titles.”

(My daughter also bought Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger that day.)

She passes the books on my bookshelf and runs her fingers over the cover, wistfully.

“Fine.”

She exits my office with a sour look and a disposition to match.  And yet, even though it breaks my heart to see her restricted temporarily on some book choices, I know in my heart I am doing the right thing.  I need to preserve that little soul as long as I can before life does a number on her.

I know my young reader well.  Get to know your young readers too and don’t always rely on reading level for appropriateness. Sometimes, you have to know the impact of the story before you say yes.

My mistake was that I hadn’t had time to read the story first before I said we could buy them.  That same weekend, my daughter had bought Lin Oliver’s Almost Identical and Leslie Margolis’ Maggie Brooklyn Series.  She finished each one in one night.  I can’t pre-read most titles for her because she can out read me- oh to be a child without laundry duty.

Victoria with Lin Oliver

Bottom line, older kids don’t always like stories that have angst, younger readers sometimes read it and compute it on a superficial level so it doesn't seem to wound their soul, other kids are in between.

Reading is very personal and every reader has to find a connection, but those of us that are in a position to guide can do best by treating each reader as one, and helping guide them accordingly.

I learned a lot from this experience.  I hope that it affords you some insight as well.

Happy Reading.

What Kids Like To Read

Victoria Krol

by Victoria Krol

Children’s books are very popular today. Have you ever asked a child what they like to read?

Well, now you get to know! I am a really good reader. I like reading The Harry Potter series. My friend, Eva, likes reading The Fairy Books by Daisy Meadows.

Instead of being lazy on rainy days by watching TV, I will read a story. Whenever I have free time in class, I’ll get my books out and read. I can block out noise. A couple of times, the teacher is talking and I’m not paying attention because I’m reading. (OOPS).

Revising Blog Post

Eva’s friend, Josie, also likes reading The Fairy Books by Daisy Meadows.

My friends, Jack and Henry, like reading The Berenstain Bears.

Parents, when you go to the library let your child pick a book above their reading level.

Eva and Jose

That’s why I’m so good at reading.

“I read chapter books and Harry Potter,” says Sam, my brother. Sam and I used to like to read Captain Underpants but not anymore.

Also, parents, remember to read to your children. My Dad used to read to us and now we read to him. My dad is reading us The Hobbit now.

Sam

Now that I have finished The Harry Potter books, I decided to read something not as scary like Ivy & Bean and several American Girl books.

Reading is very important and it helps you learn and it’s one of the subjects you need to get into Kindergarten. Reading helps you with everything.

And that’s my take on children’s books.

These are my suggestions for books you can let your kids read. I’ve read all of these and they are very good. (Well, I am not quite done yet with the stuff at the end of the list but hope to be by summer.)

Preschool 

Elmo and Grover books by various authors, illustrated by various.
Sesame Street books by Sesame Street Library, illustrated by Joe Matthieu.
Mickey Mouse/ Disney books by various authors, illustrated by various.
The Barn Yard Dance by author and illustrator Sandra Boynton.
Hippos GO BESERK by author and illustrator Sandra Boynton.
Pajama Time by author and illustrator Sandra Boynton.
My Personal Penguin by author and illustrator Sandra Boynton.

K-2nd grades

Tinkerbell stories by various authors.
The Berenstain Bears by author and illustrators Jan & Stan Berenstain.
Dora and Diego books by various authors.
Care Bears stories by various authors.
Junie B Jones Series by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Blunkus
Marvin Redpost Series by Louis Sachar, illustrated by Barbara Sullivan.
Amelia Bedelia Series by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynn Sweat.
The Fairy Books by Daisy Meadows, illustrated by various.

3-4th grades

Little House on the Prairie 1-7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Lucy Kemp and others.
The American Girl Series by various authors, illustrated by various.
Goosebumps by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Tim Jacobus.
Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes.
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams.
Stuart Little by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams.

5-6th grades

Anne of Green Gables 1-8 by Lucy M. Montgomery.
Harry Potter Books 1-7 by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary Grandpré.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein.
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, illustrated by Norman Rockwell.

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The staff at Pen & Ink Blogpost would like to thank Victoria Krol for her post.
Victoria is currently writing and illustrating her own trilogy.

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