I forgot how much I loved Matilda until just now, even though I read it probably thirty years ago when I was around your age of discovery (7-8ish). As someone who actually sort of teaches kids reading, I think the Narnia reference might be the most powerful one, though: kids need to read so many series books before they can be properly challenged by a big, difficult book. Kids like Matildas or Ludo in Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai, aren’t really the model for lifetime reading or even getting good at reading fast. Instead, the most likely reason I could understand Steinbeck and Dickens and Conrad in late elementary/ early middle school was because they reminded me of Dahl, Lewis, Leguin, and hundreds of trashy sci-fi, mystery and fantasy series novels (Goosebumps, the Hardy Boys, Animorphs, etc.) A plot has to be muscle memory before a reader can understand when an author is subverting it, or just telling a standard plot but with extremely challenging but satisfyingly beautiful language. Anyway, I’ve got my own kids and nieces and nephews that I’m excited to see through this journey, and I appreciate this post.
I love this comment so much. Matilda really stands up, by the way; I re-read it for the writing of this piece, and I ended up reading the opening chapter (where she learns to read and discovers the pubic library) three times over, because of how charming it is. Your comments on the need to read widely before you can read well ring like a bell with perfect pitch; you state it brilliantly. (And you mentioned the holy trinity of Goosebumps, Hardy Boys, and Animorphs – there's a great weekend of indulgent nostalgia-reading!) Do you mind if I ask which books have been important to you with your own kids?
Both of my kids are under 5! So we’ve got lots of time to figure out what they love. My nephews are Harry Potter and captain underpants fans. A friend gave us a beautiful collected version of the Earthsea books that I’m looking forward to cracking with my own kids.
Lovely reflection, Matthew. I pray your loved ones have success! They are blessed to have such a thoughtful friend/uncle!
Thank you so much, Katy!
I forgot how much I loved Matilda until just now, even though I read it probably thirty years ago when I was around your age of discovery (7-8ish). As someone who actually sort of teaches kids reading, I think the Narnia reference might be the most powerful one, though: kids need to read so many series books before they can be properly challenged by a big, difficult book. Kids like Matildas or Ludo in Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai, aren’t really the model for lifetime reading or even getting good at reading fast. Instead, the most likely reason I could understand Steinbeck and Dickens and Conrad in late elementary/ early middle school was because they reminded me of Dahl, Lewis, Leguin, and hundreds of trashy sci-fi, mystery and fantasy series novels (Goosebumps, the Hardy Boys, Animorphs, etc.) A plot has to be muscle memory before a reader can understand when an author is subverting it, or just telling a standard plot but with extremely challenging but satisfyingly beautiful language. Anyway, I’ve got my own kids and nieces and nephews that I’m excited to see through this journey, and I appreciate this post.
I love this comment so much. Matilda really stands up, by the way; I re-read it for the writing of this piece, and I ended up reading the opening chapter (where she learns to read and discovers the pubic library) three times over, because of how charming it is. Your comments on the need to read widely before you can read well ring like a bell with perfect pitch; you state it brilliantly. (And you mentioned the holy trinity of Goosebumps, Hardy Boys, and Animorphs – there's a great weekend of indulgent nostalgia-reading!) Do you mind if I ask which books have been important to you with your own kids?
Both of my kids are under 5! So we’ve got lots of time to figure out what they love. My nephews are Harry Potter and captain underpants fans. A friend gave us a beautiful collected version of the Earthsea books that I’m looking forward to cracking with my own kids.