At teacher conferences this year I asked Maguire's teacher to recommend some books that would satiate his hunger for reading and still be "kid" appropriate. She asked, "Has he read the Inkheart books?" I shook my head. I knew we had at least one from this series by Cornelia Funke on our shelves at home, and that some of my other kids had read one or two, but for what ever reason, Maguire hadn't stepped into their pages. Yet. He immediately devoured Inkheart. Me sneaking in every once in awhile to read a page, section or chapter out loud with him. Him filling me in on all the parts he read in bed, the car, anywhere he could sneak in a few pages. And now he's on to book two, Inkspell, in this fantastical series based on the premise of what happens if when reading aloud, the characters from the stories, sometimes magically drop into your life. Some of my favorite lines from  favorites such as Peter Pan and The Princess Bride, begin each chapter of these action packed adventures, illustrating the power of good over evil.

Maguire is plowing through the Chronicles of Narnia. Which means I get to too. I have no idea how many times I’ve read C.S. Lewis’ charming, multi-layered tales of the magical world of Narnia, but each time I do, I am awed by his creativity and how he uses allegory to hammer home some of the most beautiful elements of faith. I’m also always a bit tempted to bang on the back of my wardrobe again, ‘cause you never know. Maguire is currently reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is packed with ship voyages, sword fights, lost knights and dragons. It is also a tale of repentance, of seeing things through fresh eyes, and of trust. Maguire’s favorite character in the Narnia stories is Edmund. Which surprised me. At first. If you recall from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund is the traitor. He is selfish and snotty. I don’t ever like to admit it, but on my bad days there’s a bit of Edmund in me too. But Edmund is also the one who Aslan forgives. Who is redeemed. Just like what Jesus did for me, and for you. Actually, I do want to be like Edmund in that sense. And after being forgiven, Edmund goes on to be quite braver than anyone thinks he’s capable of, and much more sensitive to others’ needs, a better listener, loyal to the end, because that’s what Christ’s forgiveness does. And I definitely long to be like that. Chatting with Maguire about his thoughts and ideas on Narnia, give me a fresh insight into Lewis’ works, and a new appreciation for Edmund, and for my son.

Because it's summer, and because it's just so darn good, Mallory is rereading the original Harry Potter book. J.K. Rowling wrote these books intending for kids and the series to grow together. Therefore, each sequential book is a bit more mature and also a bit more dark. If the average third grader read the first book and then waited one and a half years to read each additional book, the timing would be perfect, and when they originally released it was. But now all the books are available, and once you're immersed in the world of Hogwarts, you want to keep reading. The only problem is kids might not be ready. Individual parents need to gauge their own kids, but in our house, you're allowed to read The Sorcerer's Stone in second grade and are permitted to read the next book in the series the following summer - one per year. This allows my kids to mature with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and be prepared for where the plots take them. Mallory has completed the first three books and isn't allowed to read the fourth until next year. At first, she was dismayed. But she's a problem solver, so she just started reading them from the beginning again to get her HP fix. And you know what? It's just as good the second time around!

Maguire reads a couple of Magic Tree House books a week. Thanks goodness Mary Pope Osborne has written more than forty of them. This week he's celebrating Christmas in July and reading A Ghost Tale For Christmas Time. I love all of the Jack and Annie adventures. Osborne has created an incredible series revolving around two ordinary kids time traveling to critical points in history and meeting individuals who have changed history. The books are a nice size for emerging chapter book readers with a picture or two sprinkled into each chapter to keep the readers engaged. This book takes Jack and Annie to England to meet Charles Dickens while he's writing A Christmas Carol. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous.

A few years back, when it was first released, Maddie, Max and I all read the first Percy Jackson book. I really enjoyed the wacky characters and adventures, but because my reading pile is sky high, I never got around to read any of the other books in the series. My kids, on the other hand, kept reading. They moved through the other Percy Jacksons and the Krane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, as well. Now, Maddie is reading the The Mark of Athena, where the Greek and Roman demigods need to collaborate to save the day. As she savors the month and a half before high school starts, and all of the assigned reading that will go with it, I think this fantasy world is a great story for her to escape to.