What should kids be reading over summer? It is easy to think it doesn’t matter, as long as they’re reading it’s good, right? But what we read is far more important than how much. Stories are food for your soul, and for developing minds especially the right food is paramount, and even more important is the right books; “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.” Obviously this points to a healthy diet of scripture, but it also shows the significance of ALL words; children shouldn’t read one thing from the Bible and an opposing thing in their freetime reads.
If we want the next generation of Christians to have robust minds, we should give some consideration to what they read for fun. We shouldn’t assume whatever they want to read is what they should read; a child who picks his own dinner will probably stuff himself with candy. We may be impressed at someone who tears quickly through several volumes of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but what is the nutritional value of these texts? What do they say about God? What do they teach a child to love? His parents? Hard work? Individuality? A quick survey of these texts reveals them to be lacking in wholesome values, or at least casts some doubts. Percy Jackson and Harry Potter live lives they hate till they are whisked away from school and parents to a fantastical setting. Greg Heffley, the only of the trio grounded in reality, is by no means satisfied with his life, and complains constantly about his parents, siblings, and friends. Are these the role models for future Christian men and women?
These books are not only nutritionless, but are written like colored sugar on a stick. Their easy style, in the case of Percy Jackson and DoaWK due to the colloquial narrative maintained constantly, poses no challenge to the reader, and they can be read as quickly as lollipops digest. Books like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Phantom Tollbooth, & Five Children and It, however, have exotic words, more complex ideas, and main characters children should imitate They may take longer to read than fast-food fiction, but it takes more time to chew than slurp your food.
But just reading healthy books is not enough. Protein and vitamins can still form fat, if they are not put to use. We fill our minds with good books, and then we must exercise them. In class this is done through speeches and discussion, where second exposure to material makes it stick, and differing take-aways from the books come head to head and are ultimately tested against the Bible. This shouldn’t end over the summer. Read with your children; a fail-proof way to do this is reading them a chapter of a bedtime story every night. At the dinner table, ask them what they read that day, have them compare it to scripture, and compare it yourself.
So, the summer reading list is just as important as the weekly dinner menu. God has commanded us to live by His words rather than the world’s, and the question naturally arises, where to go shopping for books? One method is to consider the books of Christendom in the last century: Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton. These have been tried in the fires of time and declared not only good but appealing. Another source is the Oak Hill library; June 30th is our summer Library Day, your chance to read and check out books from various great authors. And if you're not sure about a certain book, check the nutrition stats, they’re sometimes written on the back.
Caleb Thoburn is a rising Sophomore at New Saint Andrews College. He reads several dozen books every year and his current reads include The Sceptical Chymist, Ploductivity, and The House of the Wolfings.
Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaCZk-PApzw
