Araminta Spookie - My Haunted House

I went to the library two weeks ago and looked at a couple of books for my nine year old to read.  I then decided to go ahead and read it out loud to him and Chase (well, Chase just snuggles and gets little bits and pieces while I am reading).  As I read to my boys I would reach the end of the chapter and would be met with a chorus of, "another chapter please!!"  How could I deny them.   We finished the book in three days time!  The book was perfect for DD, but a bit beyond Chase's understanding.  Chase got out of the book snuggle time , and the soothing voice of Momma.  DD, however gained the love of a book!



Have you ever picked up a book and started reading to your child, only to find that the book is totally inappropriate?  What about the time you read to your child and they totally wouldn't stop wriggling and interrupting because it was way above their interest and developmental level?  How do we know that the book will be the right fit for our child?  Part of our job as a parent is to analyze and evaluate the literature our children read before we read to them.    As parents and educators take the time to make appropriate selections for their children and students they will be rewarded.  There are a few things to look at when choosing a book for your child: genre, developmental stages, plot, major themes.  It is also good to know the conflict, climax and resolution.  Finally, preparing activities that your child can do to relate back to the book is important.  When a child can connect an activity to a book the lessons learned are many fold.  

Genre - 

My Haunted House - by Angie Sage - Fantasy 

Plot

Araminta Spookie's parents went off to hunt werewolves and vampires and never came back - leaving her to live with her  lives with her Aunt Tabby and Uncle Drac.  She lives in a HUGE castle with turrets filled with Uncle Drac's bats.  She has a bedroom for every day of the week, and don't forget the many different kitchens.  She and her Uncle Drac love the house - but Aunt Tabby is fed up with the boiler always exploding and decides it is time to sell the house.  Araminta devises a plan to keep buyers away all the while continuing her hunt for ghosts. Will she find any ghosts?  Does she scare all the buyers away?  Does she get to stay in her precious house?  Read it to find out.

Major Themes

The book contains a nontraditional family, discusses the difficulty that children encounter when faced with change, and my favorite - that by putting your mind to any situation you can alter the outcome.

Developmental Stages

 When selecting books for you child to read it is important to be aware of what developmental stage the book is appropriate for.    

My Haunted House is at Erik Erickson's psychosocial theory stage of industry versus inferiority.  Erickson believed that during early elementary and intermediate school years children are busy performing complex tasks which in turn teaches them new skills.  Wendy Sharkey (1997) explains that 

"Erikson said that successful experiences give the child a sense of industry, a feeling of competence and mastery, while failure gives them a sense of inadequacy and inferiority, a feeling that one is a good-for-nothing."

You see this use of industry as Araminta goes about creating a complex plan to keep her Aunt Tabby from selling the house. Children at this stage will be able to identify with Araminta, imagine the details of the house as Araminta describes it, and empathize with Aramintas desire to not move!

Reading Level

The interest level for this book is about 3rd grade through 5th.  It was perfect for DD who is entering the fourth grade next month.  Chase listed to the book, but his interest was more in being snuggled than what was happening in the book.
I am fascinated by the lexile scale - which measures a books reading level.  I've included a link to a lexile conversion chart.  My Haunted House has been measured on the Lexile chart as 870L which means that if your child is reading at about a fifth grade reading level they will find this book a comfortable fit - or at the independent reading level.  Children reading at a fourth grade level may find the book a challenge - but I think this is a great fit for instructional level (reading it on their own with some instruction from teacher/parent).  Any child under a fourth grade reading level may find themselves frustrated, so this is where a parent can pick it up and read it to them - since it can be of interest to them. 

Reading Activities 

Comprehension Questions

As I read this book to the boys I periodically asked questions such as -
Why does Araminta not want to move?
What steps does she take to prevent people from buying the house?
Is she successful?  Why?  Why not?
What does the house look like? 
Who do you think Uncle Drac is?  What clues are you given as to his identity?
Do you think Araminta is going to find a ghost?  
Is this book fact or fiction?  How do you know?

Hands on Activity

I love old English manors and castles and I could just see Araminta living in one of them.  As I imagined her house I came up with such an easy idea that I can't wait for DD to try out tomorrow as I am reading to him from Vampire Brat.  He will create a picture of the castle.  He may draw a blue print or even just the outside facade.  OR another twist to this activity would be to draw a picture of our house and have him draw a description of the house - this incorporates a writing activity (which he hasn't done this summer yet!).