AUTHOR HIGHLIGHT: RENEE RIVA

If  you look back to one of my past blog posts, "Tips for Selecting Good Books", you'll see that all Renee Riva's stories fit the criteria (according to William Kilpatrick) of what constitutes a "good" book.   Whether you choose to read aloud her cute children's picture books (illustrated by talented Steve Bjorkman):  Guido's Gondola and Izzy the Lizzy; her fun chapter book:  Farley's Five and Dime; or her hilarious Saving Sailor Trilogy, you will find an author who sticks to writing imaginative family classics that not only entertain, but teach and inspire...without sounding preachy or overly sentimental.

Today I'd like to focus on her trilogy of novels for teens and young adults (or "for ages 12-100", as Renee says on her website).  The first book in the trilogy, Saving Sailor , is followed by Taking Tuscany  and Heading Home.  I just finished reading the first novel and literally laughed out loud at the antics of A.J., a ten-year old girl, who likes to talk with a fake Southern accent, and her dog, Sailor.  The story is told from A.J.'s innocent and spunky perspective.  She's part of a big Italian-Catholic family who spend their summers on an island in Idaho during the 1960's.  I was taken back to my own preteen years, when, like A. J., I still tried to sneak the marshmallow bits out of the "boring part" of the box of breakfast cereal, my dolls were trolls, and I wasn't ready to admit that boys were starting to be a little bit interesting (though I, too, was secretly smitten with with Joe Cartwright from BONANZA!).

One thing that is really refreshing about this series, is that A. J.'s story isn't about family dysfunction and shallow friendships, that you often find in many contemporary "coming of age" books for teen girls, but about wholesome (and sometimes feisty) family love and hope:  think All-of-a-Kind Family, Mama's Bank Account , or Betsy-Tacy , mixed with the humor of  Barbara Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever .

On the other hand, this is by no means an old-fashioned, Little House on the Prairie  series.  The characters are colorful and eccentric - from A.J.'s down-to-earth, mischievous parents (her mom, Sophia, pretends to be Sofia Loren out in public, just to cause a stir), to her wonderful and understanding teacher, Sister Abigail (who oversees some hilarious catechism sessions) - you'll be drawn into the plot immediately.

A.J.'s constant honesty in confronting her beliefs and her shortcomings is completely endearing.  The series follows her from Indian Island, in Idaho, to Tuscany, Italy (where she moves with her family for 8 years) and then back to the island, where she is finally reunited with her childhood friend, Danny.  You'll want to read all the books to find where A. J.'s heart, and God, lead her.

Renee Riva says the Saving Sailor Trilogy is "based on a true story, sort of".  I knew I'd like it as soon as I read her Introduction:

  When I was growing up, I thought I came from the weirdest family on earth.  Now, as I look back on my childhood, I know I did...for one thing there were seven of us...I had only one set of parents, and they actually loved each other.  A lot.  Scary, isn't it?  And here's the real clincher -- I had a great childhood.  The kind where your mom stayed home and baked cookies for you...what can I say?  Pretty much, just, Thank God. 

  Did I mention we weren't perfect?  Well, we weren't.  But perfect isn't what makes a great childhood.  What makes a childhood great is being able to look back and remember the good over the bad, the laughter over the tears, and the love that covered a multitude of sins.

  It's looking back to that one summer that stands out above the rest.  You know...the one where you knew what really mattered in life:  God, your dog, your hamster, and your family.  Most definitely in that order.

To read more about Renee Riva and her books, and to see fun pictures of her real-life childhood and family, go to her website:  http://www.reneeriva.com/. 

ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILDREN TO READ ON THEIR OWN FOR PLEASURE

Thinking back to my days as a young preteen, when there was nothing I'd rather do than curl up with a good NANCY DREW book, I started pondering what exactly my parents did to help me want to read on my own for pleasure.

Of course, growing up, we didn't have the same distractions that kids today do: now there's not just the television, there are DVRs and DVDs. There are computers and the Internet. There's not just the telephone, there are cellphones and iPhones and networking sites like Facebook, that allow us to talk to each other whenever and wherever we want!

A good book these days has to compete with lots of other forms of entertainment, especially for preteens and up! So it's even more important for parents to help make reading a happy habit early in their kids' lives. I can think of a few things my family did, and that my husband and I tried to do with our kids to help inspire them to read, and I hope you don't mind if I share them...

1) My parents read aloud to us before we knew how to read, and continued even after we were able to read for ourselves.

2) They picked meaningful and imaginative stories.

3) There was rarely a day that I didn't witness them reading their own books (or the newspaper, or magazines) for pleasure or study. And if they came across something that they thought would interest us, they'd read aloud an excerpt.

4) There were always some reading choices on a little shelf in the bathroom (note: you've got to be careful with this one, if you have only one bathroom - people spend more time in there, when there's something to read!)

5) We had a "book bag" in the car, ready for running errands or visits to the doctor's or dentist's office.

6) As we grew older, "nap time" became "quiet time with a book".

7) Lots of choices were provided for us on our bookshelves: picture books; wholesome series stories that weren't necessarily "great literature", but got us reading (such as NANCY DREW and THE HARDY BOYS); poetry; comic books (such as PEANUTS and CALVIN AND HOBBS); and of course a whole range of novels and biographies.

8) We were faithful patrons of our local library and story hour.

9) Sometimes, we'd take a blanket and books out to the backyard or park and spend an afternoon reading, having a picnic, and looking at clouds.

10) We'd have family read aloud time before bed, and then silent reading time with books we picked out, as we each waited for our turn to be tucked in and say our prayers.

11) Our T.V. time was limited everyday, as we were encouraged to "go outside or read a good book".

12) During long summer trips in the car, my mom read aloud from chapter books (such as THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA or LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE) to hold our interest and help pass the time.

13) We read aloud from the Bible, often after meals, but always during Advent and other seasonal times on the Church calendar (i.e. feast days and during Lent).

14) And last, but not least, we were usually given books as gifts on our birthdays and for Christmas - and we treasured every one!

What are your tips or favorite memories???