After I posted yesterday, I was led to this video link, in which Fr. Barron talks about The Hunger Games, and today I found this written piece (he is basically saying the same thing in each, so you may watch or read.)
And here is today's update from him, a terrific one at that:
Showing posts with label Suzanne Collins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suzanne Collins. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Little Bit About The Hunger Games While I Decide Whether Or Not I Want to Write About The Hunger Games
Oh, The Hunger Games.
There will be spoilers here, so if you've not read the book or seen the movie ...
If you don't want it spoiled for you ...
If you'd rather click away now ...
There.
Have I scrolled us down far enough to avoid spoilers?
I.
Hope.
So.
This book series has been part of my life since 2009. I read the first two books, then spent some time discerning whether or not my daughters (one of them is extremely sensitive) would even want to read them. In the end, I let them decide, knowing that we'd be discussing the books all the way. And we did. At two in the morning, for example, when Betsy finished reading the last book in the trilogy.
I've read that some people are upset because these books are "about kids killing kids." (The horror of the "games" is part of the storytelling vehicle, but that is not what the books are about. And, certainly, we are meant to be disturbed by it. Deeply so.)
I've heard from other people, fans, who were upset because the series did not have a tidy or happy ending (a happy ending would be impossible. War does not lead to happy endings.)
I've read comments by those who are horrified about "a girl who volunteers" to fight in the arena. (Katniss is not an eager or willing participant -- but when her sister's name comes up in the lottery, Katniss, desperate to save her sister, volunteers to go in Prim's place, effectively offering up her life for her sister. There is no greater love....)
You can see I'm not convinced by the naysayers. I see this series as political and cultural critique. It is about war and the ways in which power corrupts. It's about selling one's soul for a political end; it explores media manipulation, propaganda, the ethics (or lack of any) in reality TV. It's about "bread and circuses" -- the country is not named Panem for nothing. (And, while we're on the subject of a circus, does anyone else think we already live in the world of the Panem Capitol's fashion sense?) The books ask important questions about personal choices, knowing who we are and what we want to be -- they examine the lives of people trying desperately to hold on to morality and truth in hellish circumstances.
Initially, as we are drawn into Katniss' world and the depravity of the bloodsport of the annual "games," we also find ourselves on the side of those who are plotting a rebellion against the Capitol. It's tempting to imagine a noble group of souls banding together to overthrow the evil President Snow. We want them to be noble, anyway.
We want them to be like "the boy with the bread" -- Peeta, the baker's son, who said in the first book,
We want a Peeta to be in charge -- someone who can see that holding on to goodness is worth something. But when in the final book of the trilogy we meet the rebels of District 13, we find a highly rigid and militaristic group, led by the cold and calculating President Coin.
Yeah.
This is a war, and people are in it to win power. District 13, we discover, is capable of doing everything of which the Capitol was capable, right down to staging more games for revenge. President Coin is the flip side of the conflict, and the line between the good guys and bad guys has become maddeningly blurred.
We see characters making choices throughout the series that will define who they ultimately will be. Katniss's friend, Gale, hardened from years of pain, cruelty and loss, and another character (Beetee, from Catching Fire and Mockingjay) used their natural talents — combining their brilliance, hunting strategies, and battle tactics — in ways that were chilling, and were portrayed as such.
As he became more deeply involved in the rebellion, Gale chose to join a world that ultimately Katniss wouldn't accept or live in.
There is an amazing juxtaposition of songs in these books — there is one called “The Hanging Tree,” a song that Gale and Katniss share from their past. Its lyrics are an invitation to rebellion and death. They represent the fire of Gale — the fire that Katniss, in the end, rejected.
And then there is a sweet, hopeful lullaby that is used a couple of times in the series. Katniss sings it to Rue (a little girl who was forced to fight in the arena and was murdered by a brutal participant) as Rue is dying. Katniss then decorates Rue's tiny body with wildflowers and her tears. This is one of the most moving scenes in the entire series, and it's the one that blew me away. A book "about kids killing kids" shows me this? That life is precious? Yes.
We later find out, in the epilogue of the final book, that Katniss sings the lullaby now to her own children. For Katniss, the lullaby always represented hope, peace, and a kind of rebirth, which she found, in as full a way as one so wounded could, with Peeta.
The trilogy does not end "happily" exactly. Peeta and Katniss are psychologically damaged and scarred and always will be, as so many victims of wars are. And yet they married, they had children ... they did everything they could to embrace hope. There is, ultimately, a life-affirming ending, if a melancholy one.
As for our heroine, I have heard people say that they find Katniss unlikeable. There were times throughout the series when I was irritated with the character for her indecision and her flip-flopping thoughts and feelings, too.
Then I realized that Collins quite deliberately chose first-person/present tense for the book — something that is sadly but understandably lost in the movie — for exactly this reason: By living the story moment to moment with Katniss, we see her immediate responses, good, bad, and ugly. We’re privy to every awful thought that flits into her head (just the kinds of thoughts we have) and every loving impulse (just as we have) and every wrestling match, debate, and bit of confusion she experiences (just like what we endure in our heads, too.)
Katniss doesn’t act on every ugly thought or every generous impulse, and she doesn’t give voice to every mental wrestling match. Neither do we. But we have them, don't we? And in seeing her mental process, we can identify with her -- with the real Katniss that no one else sees as fully as we do.
It makes her both less likable and more so. It makes her human.
And this is YA literature, you say? Whatever happened to redheaded girls who talk too much?
Yeah, I know. And I'm not trying to convince you to read the books. I'm just saying that there's more to them than meets the eye.
So, here's the thing. I loved these books. But yes, they required loads of discussion with my daughters. Great discussions that I'm terribly glad we had. My daughters and I take these books seriously. So, yes, it bothers us a bit to think of things like gimmicky movie showings complete with games (which couldn't encourage anything but a circus atmosphere, could they?) and school re-enactments (Really?) and the fact that some kids probably laughed or cheered when certain characters in the movie met their end. But here's the other thing: the fact that there are a handful of kids in every movie theater reacting or laughing inappropriately doesn't change the fact that there are good, serious books and movies out there to be read, watched, and discussed with our kids.
Am I sad or concerned that many, many parents aren't discussing these books with their kids, and aren't discerning appropriate ages for kids to read them? Yes, I am. Just as I'm sad and concerned that many parents aren't reading anything with their kids, or talking to them about anything at all. Suzanne Collins is not the problem.
And, umm, about my post title? I guess I decided to write about The Hunger Games.
There will be spoilers here, so if you've not read the book or seen the movie ...
If you don't want it spoiled for you ...
If you'd rather click away now ...
There.
Have I scrolled us down far enough to avoid spoilers?
I.
Hope.
So.
This book series has been part of my life since 2009. I read the first two books, then spent some time discerning whether or not my daughters (one of them is extremely sensitive) would even want to read them. In the end, I let them decide, knowing that we'd be discussing the books all the way. And we did. At two in the morning, for example, when Betsy finished reading the last book in the trilogy.
I've read that some people are upset because these books are "about kids killing kids." (The horror of the "games" is part of the storytelling vehicle, but that is not what the books are about. And, certainly, we are meant to be disturbed by it. Deeply so.)
I've heard from other people, fans, who were upset because the series did not have a tidy or happy ending (a happy ending would be impossible. War does not lead to happy endings.)
I've read comments by those who are horrified about "a girl who volunteers" to fight in the arena. (Katniss is not an eager or willing participant -- but when her sister's name comes up in the lottery, Katniss, desperate to save her sister, volunteers to go in Prim's place, effectively offering up her life for her sister. There is no greater love....)
You can see I'm not convinced by the naysayers. I see this series as political and cultural critique. It is about war and the ways in which power corrupts. It's about selling one's soul for a political end; it explores media manipulation, propaganda, the ethics (or lack of any) in reality TV. It's about "bread and circuses" -- the country is not named Panem for nothing. (And, while we're on the subject of a circus, does anyone else think we already live in the world of the Panem Capitol's fashion sense?) The books ask important questions about personal choices, knowing who we are and what we want to be -- they examine the lives of people trying desperately to hold on to morality and truth in hellish circumstances.
Initially, as we are drawn into Katniss' world and the depravity of the bloodsport of the annual "games," we also find ourselves on the side of those who are plotting a rebellion against the Capitol. It's tempting to imagine a noble group of souls banding together to overthrow the evil President Snow. We want them to be noble, anyway.
We want them to be like "the boy with the bread" -- Peeta, the baker's son, who said in the first book,
"I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?" he asks.
I shake my head. How could he die as anyone but himself?
"I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not."
We want a Peeta to be in charge -- someone who can see that holding on to goodness is worth something. But when in the final book of the trilogy we meet the rebels of District 13, we find a highly rigid and militaristic group, led by the cold and calculating President Coin.
Yeah.
This is a war, and people are in it to win power. District 13, we discover, is capable of doing everything of which the Capitol was capable, right down to staging more games for revenge. President Coin is the flip side of the conflict, and the line between the good guys and bad guys has become maddeningly blurred.
We see characters making choices throughout the series that will define who they ultimately will be. Katniss's friend, Gale, hardened from years of pain, cruelty and loss, and another character (Beetee, from Catching Fire and Mockingjay) used their natural talents — combining their brilliance, hunting strategies, and battle tactics — in ways that were chilling, and were portrayed as such.
As he became more deeply involved in the rebellion, Gale chose to join a world that ultimately Katniss wouldn't accept or live in.
There is an amazing juxtaposition of songs in these books — there is one called “The Hanging Tree,” a song that Gale and Katniss share from their past. Its lyrics are an invitation to rebellion and death. They represent the fire of Gale — the fire that Katniss, in the end, rejected.
And then there is a sweet, hopeful lullaby that is used a couple of times in the series. Katniss sings it to Rue (a little girl who was forced to fight in the arena and was murdered by a brutal participant) as Rue is dying. Katniss then decorates Rue's tiny body with wildflowers and her tears. This is one of the most moving scenes in the entire series, and it's the one that blew me away. A book "about kids killing kids" shows me this? That life is precious? Yes.
We later find out, in the epilogue of the final book, that Katniss sings the lullaby now to her own children. For Katniss, the lullaby always represented hope, peace, and a kind of rebirth, which she found, in as full a way as one so wounded could, with Peeta.
The trilogy does not end "happily" exactly. Peeta and Katniss are psychologically damaged and scarred and always will be, as so many victims of wars are. And yet they married, they had children ... they did everything they could to embrace hope. There is, ultimately, a life-affirming ending, if a melancholy one.
As for our heroine, I have heard people say that they find Katniss unlikeable. There were times throughout the series when I was irritated with the character for her indecision and her flip-flopping thoughts and feelings, too.
Then I realized that Collins quite deliberately chose first-person/present tense for the book — something that is sadly but understandably lost in the movie — for exactly this reason: By living the story moment to moment with Katniss, we see her immediate responses, good, bad, and ugly. We’re privy to every awful thought that flits into her head (just the kinds of thoughts we have) and every loving impulse (just as we have) and every wrestling match, debate, and bit of confusion she experiences (just like what we endure in our heads, too.)
Katniss doesn’t act on every ugly thought or every generous impulse, and she doesn’t give voice to every mental wrestling match. Neither do we. But we have them, don't we? And in seeing her mental process, we can identify with her -- with the real Katniss that no one else sees as fully as we do.
It makes her both less likable and more so. It makes her human.
And this is YA literature, you say? Whatever happened to redheaded girls who talk too much?
Yeah, I know. And I'm not trying to convince you to read the books. I'm just saying that there's more to them than meets the eye.
So, here's the thing. I loved these books. But yes, they required loads of discussion with my daughters. Great discussions that I'm terribly glad we had. My daughters and I take these books seriously. So, yes, it bothers us a bit to think of things like gimmicky movie showings complete with games (which couldn't encourage anything but a circus atmosphere, could they?) and school re-enactments (Really?) and the fact that some kids probably laughed or cheered when certain characters in the movie met their end. But here's the other thing: the fact that there are a handful of kids in every movie theater reacting or laughing inappropriately doesn't change the fact that there are good, serious books and movies out there to be read, watched, and discussed with our kids.
Am I sad or concerned that many, many parents aren't discussing these books with their kids, and aren't discerning appropriate ages for kids to read them? Yes, I am. Just as I'm sad and concerned that many parents aren't reading anything with their kids, or talking to them about anything at all. Suzanne Collins is not the problem.
And, umm, about my post title? I guess I decided to write about The Hunger Games.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mockingjay Discussion (Spoilers Abound, But Only in the Comments)
Head to the comments to join the discussion.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Book talk at 2:30 in the morning
I was an extraordinarily mean mom and read Mockingjay (under the pretense that I was previewing for their well-being, but really, of course, I was just stealing my daughters' book from them) before I let my daughters get their hands on it. I finished it yesterday afternoon, and then the girls started reading.
Anne and Betsy took a break to be sociable. We had a friend over for dinner, but after he left, they dove in again. Anne, apparently tired, read awhile but then drifted off. Betsy plowed through and at 2:30 in the morning, she appeared at my bedside whispering, "Mom ... I finished it!" and (this is what enormous book geeks we are) I hugged her, then got up and talked about the book with her for an hour.
So.
Yeah.
We liked it.
Still processing everything I want to say about it, though.
Anne and Betsy took a break to be sociable. We had a friend over for dinner, but after he left, they dove in again. Anne, apparently tired, read awhile but then drifted off. Betsy plowed through and at 2:30 in the morning, she appeared at my bedside whispering, "Mom ... I finished it!" and (this is what enormous book geeks we are) I hugged her, then got up and talked about the book with her for an hour.
So.
Yeah.
We liked it.
Still processing everything I want to say about it, though.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bits and Pieces of Our Day: The Mockingjay Edition
Two copies in our house.
I'm done reading.
What did I think?
What did you think?
No discussion here in this post.
In the comments only!
Priest coming for dinner tonight.
Must go cook something.
Note to self: Shouldn't discourage daughter from doing her Spanish assignment just so that I can read uninterrupted.
I'm done reading.
What did I think?
What did you think?
No discussion here in this post.
In the comments only!
Priest coming for dinner tonight.
Must go cook something.
Note to self: Shouldn't discourage daughter from doing her Spanish assignment just so that I can read uninterrupted.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Bits and Pieces of Our Days
A friend is in town from Chicago, visiting her daughter and grandbabies. But, she also has an 8-year-old daughter, who's a dear friend of Ramona's. So, we've been busy catching up, hanging out, making plans.
*****
Ramona and I missed the final Holy Mass last night of one of our favorite priests. (He's leaving our parish, though fortunately isn't moving too far away, so we'll still get to see him.) Ramona wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home with her. I finally figured out that she is very much like her father. I will give her Benadryl only at bedtime from now on, as it knocked her for a loop.
*****
Yesterday was the feast day of St. John Fisher, Atticus' Confirmation saint. He doesn't care about cupcakes (Atticus, that is, not St. John), which are the usual feast day treat of choice for my girls, but he did enjoy one of these, after cleaning the gutters:
Atticus, that is, not St. John.
*****
Did you know that a washing machine has a clutch? It does, and my clutch is broken. I am enjoying the break from laundry, but am not looking forward to the pile that will await me Thursday, when the repair is completed. On the other hand, I'm grateful that I own a washing machine. I'll just think of Thursday's pile as "vacation laundry."
*****
Summer reading -- I haven't had a lot of time for reading yet! Not so with my girls. Betsy just raced through The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and we're having a great time discussing them. We can't wait for Mockingjay to be published.
(eta: Please see the comments of this post for parental warnings and caveats. And thanks to Nutmeg for asking the question. I should have gone into more detail initially.)
*****
Planning, planning, planning: summer activities, get-togethers, trips to see my sister, and my parents, and Laura Ingalls' Wilder's house in Mansfield, Missouri. Fun stuff!
*****
Ramona and I missed the final Holy Mass last night of one of our favorite priests. (He's leaving our parish, though fortunately isn't moving too far away, so we'll still get to see him.) Ramona wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home with her. I finally figured out that she is very much like her father. I will give her Benadryl only at bedtime from now on, as it knocked her for a loop.
*****
Yesterday was the feast day of St. John Fisher, Atticus' Confirmation saint. He doesn't care about cupcakes (Atticus, that is, not St. John), which are the usual feast day treat of choice for my girls, but he did enjoy one of these, after cleaning the gutters:
Atticus, that is, not St. John.
*****
Did you know that a washing machine has a clutch? It does, and my clutch is broken. I am enjoying the break from laundry, but am not looking forward to the pile that will await me Thursday, when the repair is completed. On the other hand, I'm grateful that I own a washing machine. I'll just think of Thursday's pile as "vacation laundry."
*****
Summer reading -- I haven't had a lot of time for reading yet! Not so with my girls. Betsy just raced through The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and we're having a great time discussing them. We can't wait for Mockingjay to be published.
(eta: Please see the comments of this post for parental warnings and caveats. And thanks to Nutmeg for asking the question. I should have gone into more detail initially.)
*****
Planning, planning, planning: summer activities, get-togethers, trips to see my sister, and my parents, and Laura Ingalls' Wilder's house in Mansfield, Missouri. Fun stuff!
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Reading in 2009
I know this isn't everything -- it doesn't even touch on the things Anne, Betsy and Ramona read on their own. I keep promising myself I'll get a little more organized about our booklists. I signed up for Good Reads and have done nothing with it other than to think, "I've done nothing with Good Reads." And as I look over this list, I see that much of my reading time is spent either reading to my kids, previewing something for my kids, or keeping up with my kids. And, then, when all that's done, I throw in a few books for me.
Fiction (mostly stuff I read with the kids/previewed for the kids/stuff I read to keep up with the kids):
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (not for the kids)
A La Carte by Tanita Davis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman
A Little Non-fiction:
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Mockingbird by Charles Shields
Wish I Could Be There by Allen Shawn
Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobsen
Chocolate Unwrapped by Rowan Jacobsen
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
Various read alouds with various kids, re-read alouds (Ramona's first time with some of these) or things I reread because the girls were reading them:
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
On Tide Mill Lane by Melissa Wiley
The Road to Roxbury by Melissa Wiley
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
Prince Caspian,
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,
The Silver Chair,
The Horse and His Boy,
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks on Gardem Street by Jeanne Birdsall
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle
Spiritual Reading (and in some cases, re-re-rereading and looking over highlights):
Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade (a regular and constant reread)
Fr. Elijah (fiction ... my kids groan, "You're reading that again?" It's like medicine to me)
Fire of God's Love by Mike Aquilina
Angels of God by Mike Aquilina
Happy Are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay
Miracles by C.S. Lewis
The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
101 Devotions for Homeschool Moms by Jackie Wellwood
Grain of Wheat by Fr. Michael Geisler (fiction)
Mother Teresa and me by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Grace Cafe by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
View The Domestic Church by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
The Miracle of Lourdes by Fr. John Lochran
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
A few of the books I started and need to get back to:
Mary, Mother of the Son (volumes I, II and III) by Mark Shea
Mother Teresa's Secret Fire by Fr. Joseph Langford
Praying the Rosary for Inner Healing by Fr. Dwight Longenecker
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bits and Pieces of Our Days
Recent Reading:
I got half way through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
before I had to return it to the library, so I'll reserve lengthy comments until I pick it up again and finish it. My impressions so far? a.) It's fascinating, and b.) I'm completely unqualified to comment on the intricacies of our food systems.
Ultimately, most things in my life keep coming back to a comment I once made at Jennifer's blog: I want Walden Pond and a laptop. Can you say cognitive dissonance?
The older girls and I read The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart, and we loved it. Lots of fun, surprises, suspense, silliness, and heart. Highly recommended.
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins -- I have to say that my first reaction to the premise was very much like Lissa's. I plucked this book off the shelf at the library, read the jacket flap, shuddered, thought, "No, thank you," and put it back. Then I read Lissa's post (linked above) and saw that her first reaction was also surprise (that something so dark was classified as YA literature) but that in the end, she loved it. I decided to give it a chance. I raced through the book in a day or two (and, mind you, I have no time to read right now) and loved it. Powerful. Well written and executed. The girls haven't read it yet -- we're still deciding if my sensitive daughters even want to read this one right now. Lots of fodder for great discussion, though -- terrific social and cultural commentary.
*****
Recent Talking:
I gave a little witness talk about Mary at an RCIA session yesterday. I rambled too much, but hopefully something somewhere was what someone needed. You never really know, and just have to trust God to help you hit the mark.
*****
Recent Writing:
I started a writing group for the girls and a couple of their friends, and we're really enjoying it. We get together here and they share their latest pieces. They read them aloud and then we take time for comments and discussion. We're planning a coffeehouse outing soon, combining writing group with a birthday celebration. I love homeschooling.
I'm at work on a project and am under a deadline, so my next Bits and Pieces post may be only Bits.
I got half way through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
before I had to return it to the library, so I'll reserve lengthy comments until I pick it up again and finish it. My impressions so far? a.) It's fascinating, and b.) I'm completely unqualified to comment on the intricacies of our food systems.Ultimately, most things in my life keep coming back to a comment I once made at Jennifer's blog: I want Walden Pond and a laptop. Can you say cognitive dissonance?
The older girls and I read The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart, and we loved it. Lots of fun, surprises, suspense, silliness, and heart. Highly recommended.The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins -- I have to say that my first reaction to the premise was very much like Lissa's. I plucked this book off the shelf at the library, read the jacket flap, shuddered, thought, "No, thank you," and put it back. Then I read Lissa's post (linked above) and saw that her first reaction was also surprise (that something so dark was classified as YA literature) but that in the end, she loved it. I decided to give it a chance. I raced through the book in a day or two (and, mind you, I have no time to read right now) and loved it. Powerful. Well written and executed. The girls haven't read it yet -- we're still deciding if my sensitive daughters even want to read this one right now. Lots of fodder for great discussion, though -- terrific social and cultural commentary.*****
Recent Talking:
I gave a little witness talk about Mary at an RCIA session yesterday. I rambled too much, but hopefully something somewhere was what someone needed. You never really know, and just have to trust God to help you hit the mark.
*****
Recent Writing:
I started a writing group for the girls and a couple of their friends, and we're really enjoying it. We get together here and they share their latest pieces. They read them aloud and then we take time for comments and discussion. We're planning a coffeehouse outing soon, combining writing group with a birthday celebration. I love homeschooling.
I'm at work on a project and am under a deadline, so my next Bits and Pieces post may be only Bits.
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