So we all know what I'm reading offline (or you would, if you'd pay attention to my sidebar, you little minxes!) but how about Madalyn, my young bookworm-in-training?

Well, we received our latest Scholastic book order yesterday, and in it was: three Cam Jansen mysteries, four of Judy Blume's Fudge books, two Beverly Cleary Henry and Ribsy books, three Jack Russell: Dog Detective books, Nim's Island (just saw the movie last weekend) and five Poetry for Young People books: Animal Poems, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Lewis Carroll and Robert Frost. Think that will keep her busy for a while? The poetry books are probably a bit over her head so I will read those with her, but the rest is all for her own perusal. This is in addition to the six books I got her at the library last week.

I am not sure how many book she has going right now but she appears to have inherited my ability to read multiple books concurrently without becoming confused. There are quite a few lying around the house in varying stages of completion. She went off to school today with her nose stuck in Nim's Island and one of the Jack Russell books in her backpack, "in case I finish" (I doubt she will, as Nim's Island seems to be a pretty involved book and she does have other things to do at school besides free reading).

I keep finding myself, when we're trying to get ready to go somewhere and she's reading instead of moving, on the verge of scolding her about reading, but I always catch myself and stop. If there's anything I can understand, it's reading. I remember being that age and going about with a book tucked under my arm. I remember my books being my friends and companions, not just paper and ink. I would never take that away from her or make her feel self-conscious about reading, or imply she was wasting her time doing it. I plan to support her habit to the best of my abilities. Heck, I may start taking up the books after she lays them down and reading them, myself. It would give us something to talk about and young reader books are probably about all my addled brain can handle nowadays, anyway.