Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo!

Since she was a baby, Katie has always been interested in books and stories. She's always loved to have people read to her and she especially loves all the pictures. (She is an artist!) She's always had quite an attention span (for the things she's interested in...she could draw or write for days on end). So, we always thought she would be a good reader. She was an early reader, but she still wouldn't read much on her own even though she could. Katie likes to have other people do the work! This year has been good for her. She came in reading at a 1st grade level, but motivation still was an issue for her.

2 weeks ago, that all changed! I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up some books for 4th grade and I told her I'd get her a book too, but it had to be a chapter book that she reads on her own. (You know she wanted to get a journal with a fluffy pen... I think we have 73 of these already at home!) Looking through the selection at B&N, we found a series called Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo! What do you know, a book with her very own name in the title! Apparently, that's all it took. She started reading it in the car on the way home and didn't stop until she fell asleep that night. She got up in the morning and finished the whole book before she came out to breakfast!

Too bad we had to wait another week to go back to B&N. (It's all the way on the other side of Chattanooga). This time, I thought I'd be proactive and get the next two in the series, #2 and #3. Well, that didn't last long. She started reading in the car again on the way home and finished #2 before bedtime. Sunday morning she started book #3. They even went out on the boat Sunday and she spent the whole time in the cabin reading until she finished that one! These books are written on a mid-3rd grade level. I am so thrilled that she is so excited about reading. It probably doesn't hurt that the main characters are Katie, her best friend Suzanne, and their friend George. Just waiting for a Ben and Camden to show up in one of the other books. There are over 30 in the series, so if anyone wants to send a donation to our local bookstore in Katie's name, we'll be sure to use it! :)