Beyond Storytime - Mystery

[jensmom]

Help please! I started reading Ginger Pye but the style of writing was boring me to tears. So, I switched to The Railway Children. My dd (6) sort of glazes over at the story. I am not certain how much, if any, she is really understanding since it is written in very old style with references to things she has never heard of, i.e. coal, crockery, etc. I am trying to explain but there is so much of it that we will never finish the book at this rate. Has anyone else read something else that is more to a 6 yr old's understanding? I have been very pleased with the choices up to this one but I am dreading Storytime each day....

Judy

[Mom2Monkeys]

This is the other mystery book listed in the Beyond book sets that looks like it could be interesting The Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish, 1980 Yearling, ISBN 0440444381. It's from the boy interest set. You could choose one from the 4/5 DITHOR book pack or one from a Bigger set since it has 3 choices for when you get there.

I think Carrie said the classic set takes a more seasoned listener.

[my3sons]

The classics do "sound different" and do require a more seasoned listener. They also may take some time to get into, but then become some of the best books we've read. With that being said however, if you are wanting a change, HOD makes that easy to do. I agree that Key to the Treasure is a wonderful mystery, and you may want to try that. It was one of my ds's favorite mysteries! Otherwise, any mystery of your choice will work too - so you can look at the suggestions and choose your favorite, or not use the suggestions and choose your own. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. You may want to show her 2 mystery options and have her pick one. Then, no matter what, finish reading that one. It's not good to get in the habit of stopping books halfway through - then dc begin thinking they can opt out all of the time. Not to mention, some books are like a slow burn. It takes a bit to get into them - but then look out! They start to be "on fire" - (I am personally thinking of Pride and Prejudice here , or any of the Janette Oake books I've read! )

[paliz]

We did Key to the Treasure and I found it enjoyable. My son didn't care for it much but he says that about a lot of books,

[Carrie]

Oooh, I've gotta admit that my boys loved both of those books, however they are a SLOW burn and definitely require a more seasoned listener. If those aren't up your daughter's alley, you will definitely want to steer clear of the Classic Set for awhile, and go with the Girl Interest or Boy Interest books which are shorter.

My boys also loved Key to the Treasure (and I did too)! Peggy Parish wrote them, and she's the renowned author of the Amelia Bedelia books! Phoebe the Spy is also back in print, and this one works well for mystery too. It is quite short though, so you'll most likely need another one. It is also listed in the back of Beyond for Mystery.

Blessings,
Carrie

[jensmom]

I will try very hard to stick with The Railway Children but I may also get Phoebe the Spy to read as well. I have to admit I almost fell asleep reading Railway Children but hopefully it will pick up.

Judy

[Carrie]

Judy,

If The Railway Children is putting YOU to sleep, then I wouldn't continue with it. It must not be up your alley and that is just fine. This is why we wrote the literature portion in Beyond and Bigger to go with any books you choose. If mom isn't inspired with the reading, the kiddos won't be either. So, pick something that you can get excited about reading and enjoy!

Blessings,
Carrie

[netpea]

I will try very hard to stick with The Railway Children but I may also get Phoebe the Spy to read as well. I have to admit I almost fell asleep reading Railway Children but hopefully it will pick up.

Judy

Phoebe the Spy is really good, my kids loved it!

[momof2n2]

I could have WRITTEN this post last year!
Exact same scenario.
Started with Ginger Pye and I could NOT handle it.
Tried Railway Children and it was another glazed-eye experience.
Meanwhile, days of the unit were ticking away as I waited for books from the library....!
Got Key to the Treasure and can you believe my two sons STILL talk about that book. Something about, well - I almost gave away something they find. But my boys, who were 5 and 7 remember that story! We had to stretch a bit to make the storytime questions fit, like it wasn't any AMAZINGLY well written book. But the kids enjoyed it.

We also read Phoebe the Spy, and we all loved that too. But that one was more for fun.

[tre-planted]

Hi, I posted yesterday on here, my same problem you all are having with Railway Children. I picked the Classic books because I will need to use these with both of my kids, boy and girl. I thought the selection would fit both. So far, the books we've read up to now have been great and my son and I have so enjoyed the reading. This one, well, it's even hard for me to read and comprehend some of the "slang" used when the firemen, porter and station master talk to the children. I am curious to see what did happen to their father, so I've been trying to press on with it. Today, my son and I both just gave up on it. I read your posts on The Key to the Treasure, and have decided to go with that book and stop this one. It's just not helping to stick with it. I think The Key to the Treasure will also be an interest to my daughter, as she sits in from time to time to listen to our storytime, and in the future when she is doing BLHFHG she'll enjoy it then too. I'm glad my SIL emailed me this post. I was hoping to hear if anyone else was having the same problem I was.
Tre

[Kathleen]

I'm not saying you guys should love this book, but I have to tell you all that I'm reading Ginger Pye right now for fun and I love it! I feel like my ds is telling me this story because the author does seem to include a lot of details that she wouldn't have to. Maybe you didn't get to the part with the mysterious "footstepper", the "unsavory character" lingering around...and dropping that mustard yellow hat right on top of them while they were swimming in the reservoir! Yikes!

My ds is reading his mystery right now in DITHOR and we swapped questions for one of the activities in the student book. He's very curious about this book and wants to read it when I'm done.

I know I'm past a 5th grade reading level , but I'm having a lot of fun reading some of the storytime choices that we aren't using right now since we just started in Bigger. There are a lot of great books that I've never read! And my ds is very eager to read everything I'm checking out because he doesn't want to miss a good book.

Kathleen

[jensmom]

Tre-planted, I agree with you . I am sticking with it because I am curious about their father and because I don't want to stop the second book in a row. It is a very difficult read and I am quite an avid reader myself. I am hoping for a good ending as a reward for my efforts.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the other books. We read two in fantasy - Trumpet of the Swan and Cricket in Times Square. I highly recommend both of those. They were excellent! I also got the movie of Trumpet of the Swan at the library yesterday. We are going to watch it this weekend.

Judy