The Buddy Files: A Great Series, Just Skip #6

I remember when the first book of the Buddy Files series came out. I loved it. This series is great for kids transitioning to chapter books without pictures. The language is easy to read and understand. There are a few pictures, but not very many. It's a great step to help build a child's reading comprehension. My daughter Autumn, who is now 8, has read the other books in this series and so we were excited when we found the newest one, The Case of the School Ghost at the library. My second daughter, who is 6, started reading it aloud to me and then I noticed something that I wasn't comfortable with. So, I went back and read through the whole book.

This morning Autumn and I discussed my concerns and and hers. She recognized and felt it wasn't good for the children to lie to Connor's mom about where they'd been. She also felt it was wrong for them to disobey the directions of the adults at the school when they were there for a sleepover. Her other question was why the children would do something that was wrong just because someone told them to. I know this happens all the time with kids, but in this book there weren't any consequences for what they did. Yes, their actions were innocent enough and didn't harm anyone, but it's the principle of it.

My concerns with this book hinge on two things. 1) the idea of a Ouija board are introduced as part of the story. It is clear that it is rigged, but I'm not comfortable that things like this are presented as so innocent. The idea's been planted and if it's reintroduced to a child when they're older, then it will likely seem benign. Many people might disagree with me on this point, but it follows the process of how to make someone think that something that is unacceptable is actually acceptable. It reminded me of when Saul sought out a seer against God's instructions. Ouija boards are associated with the occult. I wondered if I was taking this little thing a bit extreme and so I asked my husband and mother in law for their opinions. Both agreed that they would be concerned about it's inclusion in the book. 2) At the end, Connor lies to his mom when she asks him a question. In our family, lying (especially to parents) is a big deal. The prime age for this book is 2nd/3rd grade (1st grade advanced readers) and children this age need to know it's not okay to lie to parents or adults. My mother in law made an additional point to me that the children in this story are 4th and 5th graders, yet it will likely be 2nd and 3rd graders reading this story. Younger children look up to older children and the older children in this story are setting a bad example by encouraging the younger children to keep secrets and lie.

My daughter did enjoy the book, but she understood why I felt she should read other books instead. I do definitely recommend the first 3 books in the series as great books for both boys and girls in 2nd/3rd grades. They are great transitional early chapter books. But, I haven't read the 4th or 5th books so I can't give them a clear recommendation.

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story. My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard. Am I questioning too much? Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way. But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them. Recently, I read a book that troubled me. The book I finished reading was Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard. When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...

ESV, NIV, or NASB and then there's the ICB, ESV or NIrV...which should we read?

I am so thankful for my friend's question about the ESV vs. NASB and NIV. I couldn't remember the difference so I went to look it up. I knew that John Piper and Tim Keller, both pastors and authors that I deeply respect have switched over to the ESV. All of the churches that we have attended over the past few years PCA or Reformed Baptist have also switched to the ESV. I did find a blog that explained the differences and that helped me ( http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/niv-vs-esv-and-why-piper-switched/ ) I knew why I didn't like the KJV--it was written in the days when writers were paid by a patron and that often slanted the translation. The NKJV, from what I understand, is a revision of the KJV that uses more modern language. Most churches I have attended used the NIV until the ESV came out. The blog I found explained that the ESV is a more literal translation---like the NASB. The NASB is a very literal translation. The ESV has come to be consid...

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