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.

Maddie’s summer reading assignments for high school this year were, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I get excited when she gets assigned the classics, because I love them. Because they resonate with me. Because they are what instilled in me the love of language and storytelling. I read both of these books as English assignments somewhere along the way, but now I’m excited to read them all over again, especially To Kill a Mockingbird. Did you know Harper Lee was a close friend with Truman Capote? Did you know that despite this being one of the best selling books of all time, a Pulitzer Prize winner, translated in over forty languages, this is her only novel? The story of Scout, Boo Radley and Atticus Finch has always stuck with me. It is, a story of respecting others, no matter who they are, or where they come from, or what you think they may or may not have done. Sounds like something we could all apply a little more to our lives. No wonder this one is a classic.

At long last Max is reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Maddie and I both read the entire series two years ago while we were in Germany. The real life Berlin Wall which divided citizens, so similar to the barbed wire dividing the districts in the book, and reading about the character of the twisted President Snow controlling innocent citizens while we walked streets where Hitler trod was almost too much to take in. It cemented both our history and this novel in my mind forever. I think I'm more excited that Max is reading this incredible, gripping story of bravery and fighting for what's right (with some great, clean romance thrown in) than he is. But I can't wait until he finishes, because then I'll be able to watch the movie again too! And hello, the Catching Fire movie releases in November!

Over the summer my husband lost his father, I lost a father-in-law and the kids lost their Papa. We were blessed with a lovely Father's Day celebration with him this year, the whole family gathered around overflowing and splashing with love. But goodbyes stink. And when you're little they're confusing. So, even though Maguire is reading chapter books -- no flying through them -- a dear friend sent this picture book to help illustrate the temporary goodbye of a loved one leaving earth until we meet them again in heaven. Never Say Goodbye by Lea Gillespie Gant is priceless. I gathered Maguire and the other kids too, yes even the high schooler, and had a little family story time. I couldn't get through the book, because its comfort and truth about death transcends age. As tears flowed down my cheeks, Mallory gently took the book from my hands and finished the story for me. For anyone experiencing loss, I highly recommend this book to shed a little light on death and heaven on young and not so young hearts.

Maddie is reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson for her assigned summer read for freshman English. Speak is disturbing Maddie quite a bit. It is a book about depression. It is a book about date rape. Date rape is something no one wants to talk about. But it is critical that we address this trauma. One out of three women is sexually assaulted by the time she graduates from college. One out of three! It is such an important topic to me that I wrote a novel about date rape last year, It's Complicated. While I was writing It's Complicated, Maddie and I had several chats about date rape. She wondered why I would write about such a horrific topic. I explained how important it is for survivors to find faith and hope to get through this terrible ordeal, to realize they're not alone and that IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. I told Maddie non-victims need to be informed, so they can help victims, so they can be aware, so they can make a difference. Because it frightened Maddie so much, and because this is a topic near and dear to my heart, I read Speak, too. Laurie Halse Anderson does a beautiful job with this novel. Her voice for the victim, high school freshman, Melinda, is so spot on, I felt like I was actually in her head. Anderson nails high school and brings to our attention the silent suffering so many teens experience. I highly recommend this novel. But to who? Maddie said she "hates" it. That's strong, especially from her. She's a great reader and a diligent student. But the content is like a nightmare nagging at her brain. When It's Complicated released I recommended it to 16 year olds on up, due to the content. However several younger teens have shared with me how it helped them with their personal struggles. So, how much do we protect our teens? When is it time to share? When are we ready to read about date rape? Probably never. But when should we? I'd love your input.

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!

We are in the car All. The. Time. I have four kids who are super busy and none of them can drive. Today alone we spent two hours and fifteen minutes in the car transporting them to and fro. Since I haven't figured out yet how to read and drive at the same time, we listen to books on CD to pass the time (mainly to make toting around their older siblings more tolerable for Mallory and Maguire). Right now, we're listening to Double Fudge by Judy Blume. It is hilarious. Although Maddie and Max rolled their eyes at a middle grade read, they can't help but laugh out loud when it's playing on our rides. Double Fudge is classic Judy Blume--characters so real, you feel like you know them--a little too well. It's narrated by her, the author herself, in her full on thick New York accent. There's humor about strange relatives, jokes about little brothers, real life questions about what money can and can't buy, how you feel when a pet is sick and how crummy it is when friends move away all peppered into the plot. But mostly it's just plain fun. And a great way to make the drive time not only tolerable, but pleasant.

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.