Here are the books that you might want your 12 or 13 year old to read from March to June 2009:
The High King by Lloyd Alexander
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert L. Stevenson
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
The Book Thief by Markus Suzak
I checked out the above books in BestSellers at Robinsons Galleria and they only had Gulliver’s Travels and Moby Dick. I suppose we will check out other National BookStore branches in the coming weeks. My son is most interested in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while the Book Thief sounds intriguing to me.
My son needs to read at least one book on the list for an activity that they will have next school year. The kids are advised by their Reading Coordinator to focus on the characters, the setting, as well as the plot or styles used. It would be good for them to think about what made them like the book or why they didn’t like it if such was the case.
Reading books can be good conversation starters. Read a book as a family and see what interesting conversations come up.
So, wherever you may be vacationing this summer, please remember to read at least one book. You’ll be thankful for it someday.
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Just like all skills, reading is perfected through exposure and practice. For a child to develop an interest in the written word, the child must be exposed to age-appropriate books and must also see other members of the family reading their own books and materials.
If you have a child who may be having a bit of difficulty learning how to read, just be patient. To boost his or her confidence, start with simple reading material. Do not worry that you may not be helping your child by giving him or her material which is too easy. Your child needs to feel confident first and he or she must achieve some measure of success. Some kids do not like the feeling of making mistakes. The more opportunities there are for a child to read a word or a series of words correctly, the more they will be open to try with more difficult words as they go on.
So boost your child’s confidence first by starting him or her of with simple words and/or books. Read together or let your child read independently (as you listen) for 15 to 30 minutes a day. Before you know it, you will see a big improvement in his or her reading skills. Once your child has taken off, there will be no looking back. He or she shall then have entered into the wonderful world of reading.
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Claretian Publications has yet to do a re-print for the bookstores although they already did a re-print for our Stewardship group in the parish. If you want to get hold of copies still, I suggest that you get in touch with me or better yet, please reserve a copy or copies at the National BookStore or other book store branch nearest you. This will show the publisher that there is further interest in the book and may lead them to already do a re-print soon.
I strongly urge you to get a copy of the book or to give a copy of the book away for I assure you that it will help you re-think the way that you are living your life and will also help you discover a life filled with numerous blessings.
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Here is one book that parents may want to read or check out. I am launching my very first book called Mom’s A Stewardess (Or Why There is No Vacation from Your Vocation): Stories of Stewardship this coming July 9, 2008. This is published by Claretian Publications. It is a book primarily for mothers, perhaps but can be read by fathers, young adults, teens, and almost just about everybody.
Stewardship is a way of life marked by serving the Lord and others. A steward, or a stewardess, is characterized by gratitude, responsibility, generosity, and the desire to give back to the Lord with increase. It recognizes each individual’s unique talents and believes that everyone can share something.
If you would like to learn about stewardship or the book, do check out: www.momsastewardess.com The book launch will be from 3 to 4pm, July 9, at the 11th Floor, Aurora Milestone Tower, 1045 Aurora Blvd, Loyola Heights QC. Just look for Hope Center. It is right across PSBA.
The book will be available at National BookStore and Powerbook branches shortly after the launch.
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Reading beats watching television anytime. At my son’s school, they make our jobs as parents a bit easier by releasing a summer reading list for the boys. In this way, parents can have a pretty good idea as to what sort of books will be appropriate for their boys. If you have 11-12 year old boys, you may want to consider adding the following books to your son’s reading list this summer:
1. The Last of the Mohicans by James Cooper
2. Call of the Wild by Jack London
3. The Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis
4. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
5. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
The boys are required to read one book from the above list. That one book will be used for a project in the next school year. That’s the school’s way, I guess, of ensuring that the boys will read at least one book.
Nothing stops you as a parent, of course, from getting all the books and encouraging your children to read all the books on the list. To ensure that your child also gets a good dose of fun (e.g. television, computer and video games) during the summer, you can allot a certain amount of time each day to reading and the other activities that your child would like to engage in. Reading for an hour to two hours each day should be fine.
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Ateneo de Manila Grade School offers several programs which you can consider for your children, Enrollment period is from March 3-April 17, 2008, while the actual course offerings will run from April 16-29, 2008.
Eager Reader! is an appropriate program for 5-6 year old children who are just starting to learn how to read. Children will familiarize themselves with the sounds of the different letters; will encounter c-v-c words and will also be exposed to both sight words, as well as phrases and sentences. Different stories will be read aloud during the session to develop a reading habit in kids.
Eager Reader! will run from 8am to 10:30am and will be handled by faculty of the Ateneo Grade School. Fee is P3,500.00.
For other details and information, please call 426-6001 in Metro Manila, Philippines. You may call Jane Velasco (7106) or Lyn Acab (7108).
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They can make all those sounds while reading the story about playful dog Spot and all his friends. The story then becomes more interactive and more enjoyable for your kids.
I don’t know if the book is available locally in bookstores in the Philippines as we got our copy at a Kuala Lumpur bookstore.
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The book features Filipino delicacies that we all love. From yummy rice cakes or bibingka; chocolate porridge or champorado; ensaymada; turon (or banana fritters?); as well as halo-halo, a delightful mixture of various sweets, crushed ice, and ice cream.
The story will make your children appreciate Filipino cuisine and will also highlight the love and caring that is found within Filipino families. After all, with food comes community, togetherness, and genuine concern for the other.
It is a surprise then that this book is a family favorite?
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This is a concept that one can adopt in our families or individual groups (e.g. friends, cousins). You may choose several people to group with and agree on the mechanics. Each individual can then buy a new book and then exchange it later for another one. Everyone will have the chance to read more books than he/she actually bought.
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Darna is a Filipino superheroine, not unlike Wonder Woman. It tells the story of an Overseas Filipino Worker, working as a baby sitter in Hong Kong. It tells of the reality of Filipinos needing to live away from family just so they can provide for their family’s material needs.
The story is told in an engaging and light manner. Through the story, adults and children alike can have a better appreciation of the sacrifices that OFWs make. This story is made for kids up to the ages of 7 to 10.
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