The book fair started it! With one of the books from Heroes of Olympus series.
My eldest kid had an aversion to novels… Basically books without pictures, because, she found it boring. I sort of gave up on trying to get her to read books such as Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.
Then, I bought books at my children’s school’s book fair. It’s by Scholastic. I got a free book as part of a promotion. The title was The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan.
Even if the price points at the book fair were higher than in National Bookstore, I still bought a few books for the kids and me. It’s more convenient… It also satisfied my urge to browse and buy books. Unless we really needed to buy school supplies from NBS, that is.
My Heroes of Olympus series reviews
Well, The Blood of Olympus was the fifth and last book in The Heroes of Olympus series. I cannot read that unless I read the first one, therefore, I bought The Lost Hero. At National Bookstore. 😀
My reviews on GoodReads below!
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very fast-paced and adventure-packed that I needed a breather. I felt as tired as the heroes in the story. The change in points of view allowed me to put the book down and rest from the “series of deadly unfortunate events”.
My ten-year-old got curious about the book and my heart secretly leaped. So, during the recent summer vacation, she started to read The Lost Hero. She even read it ahead of me! I guess that’s the first novel, without pictures, that she read and completed.
I knew she enjoyed it when she asked for the second book.
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It started slow and not as unputdownable as the first, or as expected, with it about Percy Jackson and all.
The latter pages were exciting, though. But with a lot of monsters in the battle on Camp Jupiter, I was expecting more casualties on the demigods and the descendants.
It’s also like he’s a third wheel or something. I found it funny, though!
And then the third. She was looking forward to mall visits in order to find the books in the series. Also, to browse other titles as well.
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Took me a while to finish this book because we didn’t have the next book yet!
It sure is filled with adventures and mysteries unraveled. It’s little mushy, it’s funny and breathtaking.
The second to the last book had us stopping by every book store we could. It was that hard to find! I don’t know why.
My daughter was ecstatic when our search came to an end at last. She couldn’t wait to read it. Of course, I got to read and review it, too.
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It had the usual adventure, that made me so tired and breathless I had to stop reading. There were some satisfying fights. I loved how some the immortals here had been very helpful to them. And there were parts that made me teary-eyed.
Finally, my short review of the last book in the series.
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There was something missing from the book, I felt, although the ending was an ideal one. Gaea’s rising was anticlimactic, but as the saying goes, “Strike while the iron is hot.”
I don’t want to force my children to read and make them feel that it is a chore to complete, or a homework. I do want to encourage her to read more, maybe appreciate novels.
But, these are some ideas that worked for me, with my eldest (it also depended on her personality):
- It helped to let the little ones see me read and get excited about books.
- It helped to go book-shopping with them. That way, they could discover what books might tickle their fancy.
- Make the books at home accessible to them: their books in the bookshelf at their eye-level. I left The Lost Hero lying around where my daughter could see and eye it curiously; pick it up and put it down. Then, pick it up again and turn the pages.
- Occasionally ask for their opinions and progress, but not too often. Ella actually asked me to guess what page she was on, while reading.
- Also offer a variety of books, not just chapter books or novels.
Will this make her want to read only Rick Riordan’s books? Probably! Although, she did not ask to read the Percy Jackson series or the Sadie Kane adventure.
Recently, I purchased a new book for her. She saw its preview in the second book of Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard trilogy, also by Rick Riordan. It’s called Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi. It was presented by Rick Riordan. Technically, Rick Riordan didn’t write it, right? 😀
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s a page-turner, even if I have no inkling of Hindu mythology. Admittedly, I read this because my eldest child picked up this book in the bookstore. I liked the adventure even though I disliked Aru at first. In my opinion, Mini was way better, although it’s mind-boggling how she could be deathly afraid of germs and dying one moment, and be brave and prepared the next. It’s Aru’s journey to self-discovery, alongside saving the world.
It does read like Rick Riordan’s books, since it came highly recommended by him. My daughter read the Heroes of Olympus series, that’s why she grabbed this book right away.
I look forward to the next book.
I am still waiting for the time she’d pick up and read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, though. 🙂
Do your children like to read? Can you share other ways you encourage your children to read more books or novels?
