If The Dog Could Read, She'd Have To Settle For Book 3

Oh, my poor little neglected blog. Neglected for a few baseball games, gymnastics practice, walks with the dog, field trips with the kids, and... a really engaging book.

I'm nearly finished with Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, which I was finally allowed to start reading after Dane finished it for his book report, and then after Mick and Aubrey tag teamed possession of it during their waking/sleeping hours for a couple weeks.

That book is a fun ride. You have a kid who thinks he's different (in a bad way) who finds out he's special (in an amazing way) and you're pulling for him to successfully complete a quest - because he's actually genetically linked to the gods of Greek mythology, and is mixed up in a complex plot among them.

It's an amazing, fast-paced, educational adventure - and, like I said, Percy and his series are a huge hit in this house.

Currently, Dane's reading Book 5: The Last Olympian, Mick's reading Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth, Aubrey's reading Book 2: Sea of Monsters, and if Sharkles could read, I'm sure she'd be on Book 3: The Titan's Curse because she probably would've beaten me to access to Book 1 long ago, too.

I also have to add that it was really tough to put Percy away for a night so I could read Cheaper By The Dozen for book club. Ultimately, I found Cheaper to be a charming. if not slightly overly-anecdotal, book about an unusual family: psychologist (mom) and efficiency expert (dad) raising twelve kids in the early twentieth century.

I may have found the father's chauvinist ways bristling at times (when he's courting his future wife, he stops conversation to pick her up and set her on a book shelf because she "looks prettier there" - and then no longer contributes to the conversation!) but I took it with a grain of salt and mostly found him to be a fun-loving, mix-it-up kind of guy who loved education and family.

Wonderful things that stayed with me: Teaching his children Morse Code by painting code on the walls, teaching the children (ages 3 and up) to multiply double digits in their heads by memorizing squares and then adding differences (or something like that -- I have to figure it out; my parents didn't teach me that!), and hanging the solar system from the house ceiling. Every situation was an opportunity to educate in this family, and it was inspiring, although a little heavy-handed.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, but Mr. Frank Gilbreth couldn't really hold a candle to Percy Jackson. But comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Or Humans and Half-Bloods. It's really not an even contest.