Summer power reading...

As I mentioned earlier, Thing One blew by the 10 book goal this summer and was rewarded with a $10 savings account (hypothetically, matched by various others). However, it was not just any ten books he knocked down. Starting a day or so after mid-June, T1 started the Harry Potter series and finished the last one yesterday.

He was very funny about it. He decided he wanted to read the Bloomsbury special editions to start with...largely because he liked the bound in bookmarks. At book four, he had to choose the trade Bloomsbury or Scholastic edition and opted for the Brit on the grounds that he liked the British expressions, etc. The last three he had to switch to the Scholastics, but found that they did less substitution of "gits" and the like.

His best exclamation came at the end of Book 6 when, at about 9:30 at night or so (he was allowed to read late some nights), "DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD?!?!?" Book 7 added several, "Dobby is dead?!?", "Lupin is dead?!?", "Fred is dead?!?...What is wrong with this book?!?" Other than characters he liked dying, he loved the series and wants to reread it starting now. I have suggested he let it sink in and read it again in a year or so.

I just have to say that I am very proud that my 10 year-old read 4224 pages in just this series...not counting his other reading this summer (two other short sets and several stand-alone books). I could not be more proud.