schoolbag books

I was cleaning out the schoolbags the other day and dug these two books out. (Along with about six empty water bottles and quite a few old crusts.) During class time, my middle boys (aged nine and twelve) are allowed read what they like when set work is done. And these two books had made the cut.

Now that I think of it, both of them have recently read The Trumpet of the Swan. I read it aloud a few years ago on holidays and then it became so familiar on the shelf neither of them bothered with it, until a few weeks ago when I got one of them to read three pages and see if he liked it. Of course he did.

Skullduggery Pleasant was finished in three days by my nine year old. I don't know when I've last seen him so stuck to a book. He stayed up late reading, read over breakfast and yesterday, when we walked through his school gates he said with dismay"Oh no! I forgot my book!"

His older brother read the whole series a few years ago, dressed up as Skulduggery at Halloween and even went to meet the author (he was so shy and nice!) at a book launch so luckily, we have all the books.