He may be scared, but he has a great vocabulary

We're reading a hilariously funny book called Alvin Ho: Allergic to School, Girls, and Other Scary Things. And while Alvin doesn't have a particularly savory child's view of either piano teachers or psychotherapists, we are still enjoying the book enormously around here. It is truly laugh-out-loud funny, has liberal, fabulous illustrations, and gives us a chance to talk about things that do (and don't) give us pause in our own lives.

Fiona won't be going to a traditional school this year like Alvin does. She won't ride the school bus like he does, either. It's fun for her to experience those things via Alvin, even though his over-exaggerations are devilishly ridiculous. And while Nora doesn't act a lot like Alvin's little sister Anibelly, for Fiona the connection surely does resonate with her. She's not catching all the humor, but she stays focused for the story, as does Nora.

I simply cannot get tired of these girls bringing books to me and begging for another chapter or two. It never gets old, even if we don't have time for it and have to do it a little later instead.