What Spawn is Reading This Week - 4/26/2011

Spawn just began reading this book today, so I don't have much to say about it yet. It includes three stories and is the first of the 3rd grade independent reading books he's chosen. I tend to gravitate towards mysteries for him because comprehension is a stumbling block for Spawn due to his ADHD. So, every few months, we hit the book store or thrift store and stock up on mysteries to keep him challenged and engaged in his reading. Mysteries force him to give more time and thought to the details and force him to follow the thread of the story, rather than trying to figure out just the theme or moral to a story. (After all, what fun is reading a mystery if you aren't trying to figure it out before the hero does?) Kids with ADHD are great at seeing the big picture, but the details can get lost. Mysteries helps him practice focusing on those details instead and put them front and center.

This is a fairly advanced reading level. The publisher's website says it's intended for Grades 3 - 8,  but it's pretty advanced reading for a 3rd grader. Spawn is an excellent reader, so I don't have any worries there. He's tackling this one in blocks - 20 minutes at a time, so you'll be hearing about this one for a few weeks. =D It has just three chapters because each chapter is a different story/mystery. Here's a peek at the beginning of the first chapter, "The Red-Headed League": The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom