Larger Than Life Lara
I read aloud to my kids at bedtime. I read during snack because having the food there helps them to sit still and listen. The experience varies from wonderful to frustrating, but we all enjoy it enough to keep coming back. I can tell when the kids are really wrapped up in a story because their eyes are fixed on me and their bodies still. I love those moments when we’re all wrapped up in words together. Finding the right book to read can be tricky. Kiki doesn’t stay for the reading. She is too busy doing teenage things. Link has started drifting away too. But if I find the right book, one that moves fast and amuses, then Link will sit right along with the younger two. Gleek would like more books with magic and kittens. Patch would like more adventures and machines. But with the right story I can catch them all. And I did.
Last night we finished reading Larger Than Life Lara. None of the kids were thrilled when I picked this book for bedtime reading. It had no chases or explosions. No one learned magic. It was about a 10 year old girl and her class play. That did not sound exciting to them. I wasn’t sure that the book would hold their interest, but I knew that the book contained a beautiful story and so I started reading despite the doubts. The narrator of the story, Laney, captured their interest by the end of the first page. She sounded so much like a kid and she wove the story she was telling with explanations of the elements of a good story.
By the end of chapter four Laney had also captured their hearts. The kids sat eagerly to hear the next section and often protested when I stopped reading. Link stayed for the reading. Even better, Kiki started wandering in to listen. Last night the story reached its climax and we read straight through the last four chapters to the end. We were all wrapped in the words and all of my kids were touched by the story. Kiki was inspired to write a poem about helping others. Gleek spent the rest of the time before bed composing nice things to say to everyone else. Link got out of bed to come help me with the dishes. In the book Lara comes to the school and changes those around her into better people. This book did exactly that. It came into our house and when the book was done we were all filled with the desire to spread kindness. You can’t ask for better than that.
The best part is that the book is not preachy nor does it hit you over the head with moral lessons. The lessons are there, but it is up to the reader to find and interpret them. It is also educational. Each chapter is named for a story element and that chapter helps clarify that element by forwarding the story. Several times during the reading I heard my kids mention one of the story elements in a way that demonstrated a new understanding of how it worked. Anyone who is trying to teach writing to kids should take a look at this book. In fact, any writer may be interested in it even though it is aimed at 4th graders. But the strongest part of the whole book is Laney. Just reading the book is an amazing examination of character voice. Laney starts off by saying that the book isn’t about her, but really it is. I do not know how this book missed winning awards.