The kids are finally back at school after a very long summer (New England has incomprehensibly-long summer breaks). And as we settle into routines again, I can get back to writing this blog which took a planned, but rather longer than planned, summer break too this year.
Books are always a big part of any holiday for me, but the summer holidays also come with reading lists, recommended books and aspirations – some of my reading goals were a little over-ambitious.
My daughter’s school, as usual, sent each child home with a summer reading book, a title for each grade, courtesy of the PTC, which families are asked to read to or with their child. This summer’s book was Lev Grossman’s fabulous The Silver Arrow (2020) which my husband read to both the kids, and they all loved it. I had actually read it to my son a few years ago, and also the sequel, the equally fantastic The Golden Swift (2022). These are compelling, wonderfully imaginative books. The characters feel like real children and the pages are dotted with lovely little illustrations. They’re also an example of a perhaps less common type of fiction, a completely successful environmental fantasy adventure story. They’re full of the sort of delightful facts and details about animals and wildlife and the world that the kids love, all tightly woven into the story. But as well, without being at all preachy or didactic, they shine a light on the sobering realities of climate change and extinction of species in a way that’s both humane and accessible to children. There aren’t many books that tackle these urgent and timely topics while also being such good stories, but these are facts that our children will face. These books are a joy, but also feel as although you’re reading something that’s worth the effort, a book that lingers in the mind and makes you think.
My son, 12 years old now, is starting a new school this year and also had a summer set book to read (H.M.Bouwman’s A Crack in the Sea, 2017, which I haven’t read but he seemed to like very much). Additionally, he had a long list of summer reading from which he had to choose at least three to read over the holiday. That was my cue for a massive, (over-)enthusiastic sweep of the book shelves, finding, buying, borrowing, so that he had a big selection of books to choose from. I like the idea of there being such a wide range for the kids to choose from, and I think some of the students at the school were involved in making the list, which again, I like. The list reminded me of books I enjoyed a long time ago, and ones I’d always meant to read. It included a mix of classics, older and modern, and contemporary books, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, plays, something for everyone. In a nice piece of serendipity, I’d been reading some Dorothy L. Sayers to my mother over the summer, Lord Peter Wimsey always being a favourite of ours, and then Gaudy Night (1935) featured in the list – which would not be my starting point in the Sayers canon – but has led to my reading The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928) with my son. Along with enjoying Agatha Christie, he seems to be developing a taste for crime novels that I can totally identify with.
I rather like the summer aspirations to read more, from the schools, reading challenges, etc. An impetus to try something new when there’s time to experiment. I know I have a tendency to be over-ambitious, but, with some encouragement, my son seems to have enjoyed taking some time to reflect and write in his reading journal. And I’ve loved his reflections on the books he’s read, when he’s been ready to share them. I’ve also built up a new photo album in my phone, taking a photo of each child with their book as they finish each one, so we now have a record of their summer reading and it’s already nice to look back and reflect – and think about what to read next.
P.S. What I’m reading. After a summer of mainly re-reading, I’ve finally picked up R.F.Kuang’s Katabasis (2025) which has been on my TBR shelf for a while – just as her new book, Taipei Story, is coming out to great reviews. I read the first of her Poppy War Trilogy and didn’t love it, but I did love Babel, and I read Yellowface for Book Group a while back. I know Katabasis had a mixed reception, but so far I’m enjoying it; I feel as though she’s a very engaged writer, and when she’s including ideas and information, it’s with the sense of someone sharing something she finds intellectually exciting and wants you to be able to share in that excitement, rather than something she’s showing-off about; I enjoy her enthusiasm for what she’s writing. And she’s a good storyteller, keeps the pages turning. (It puts me in mind too of the other University-set descent-into-Hell novel series, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Hellbent which I love and am eagerly anticipating the conclusion to the trilogy, Dead Beat, due out next week!)
Books for Our Children 