We’re pretty much at the halfway point of summer, which means that we’re also well into our summer reading goals/lists. Since we belong to two libraries, the girls couldn’t wait to sign up for two reading programs. The rules have been simple enough: read for 20 minutes a day, track your progress, and then turn in your sheet for a prize. The rules have also been flexible in that reading can include anything like books, magazines, graphic novels, audio books, etc. That way, kids who struggle with chapter books can still celebrate their reading achievement in a format that is comfortable for them. The last thing you want to do is make reading feel like a chore or something to dread.

So far, the girls have been pretty consistent with picking the same book series (my eldest really loves the Babysitters’ Club graphic novels and my middle daughter likes anything with dogs, so we’re trying to find any of the Dog Diaries books), plus they have bedtime reading with my husband- which also counts towards the daily 20 minutes. My eldest daughter received a copy of  Hyacinth and the Secrets Beneath from Penguin Books, and so far she’s really enjoying it. She’s typically into mysteries (she watches Matlock and Colombo in the AM, just to give you an idea), and the book summary immediately sparked her interest. Below is an overview of the book, which involves kidnapping and a giant pig!

Before Hyacinth Hayward moves from Illinois to London, she reads up on the city’s history. Too bad for her. Because the books are wrong. The truth is, London was built on magical rivers, and all the major events in its past have been about people trying to control the magic.

Hyacinth discovers this when her mom is kidnapped. In the chase to get her back, Hyacinth encounters a giant intelligent pig in a bathing suit, a boy with amnesia, an adorable tosher (whatever that is), a sarcastic old lady, and a very sketchy unicorn. Somehow Hyacinth has to figure out who to trust, so she can save her mom and, oh yeah, not cause a second Great Fire of London.

For me – I pretty much gave up the 50 books in 2017 challenge, which admittedly was pretty lofty. But.. I’m still reading. I typically alternate between mystery/crime and chick lit, just so I don’t have a totally morbid summer and scare myself from sleeping. I recently discovered Lisa Gardner and flew through the book Find Her. Once I finish a mystery, I switch over to chick lit to lighten the mood. I recently finished up Maybe In Another Life, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which was a lot like the movie Sliding Doors – which I love. I then read Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson, another gripping page-turner, followed by one of my favorite British chick lit authors, Jill Mansell, and her latest Three Amazing Things About You. Now I’m back to Lisa Gardner and Right Behind You.

So that’s where we are at the moment. When my daughter finishes Hyacinth, she’ll give a more detailed recap (maybe even on our YouTube channel). Until then, let me know you AND your girls are reading.