The cover of the first book in a series that is a favorite of middle-school children.
By Magdalena I. García
Today was my son M.’s annual visit to the ophthalmologist (eye doctor). Dr. C. is a sought-after pediatric doctor who also happens to be a mature woman and a delightful human being. She is a mother herself, having raised at least one boy, and she is sort of an old fashion doctor—meaning one who actually talks to the patients and their families, instead of just reading the chart and writing a prescription—, so we usually have very interesting conversations.
Today’s talk centered around things M. could read for fun, since reading is one way to do visual therapy for exophoria (wandering eye). It turns out that Dr. C. knows all about The Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, Harry Potter, and other pre-teen favorites. M. is not ready to fully embrace reading as a pastime, but he thought it was pretty cool that Dr. C. would recommend books that kids his age actually enjoy reading.
I have to confess that a couple of years ago, when M. first started talking about The Diary of the Wimpy Kid, I frowned and played deaf for a while. I wanted him to read good literature, classic stories. But he insisted, so we started buying this series of books about the trials and tribulations of growing up, written by Jeff Kinney, a wannabe cartoonist turned author. There are now four published volumes in this New York Times’ bestselling series, with the fifth book scheduled for publication in 2010. I have not read any of them, but I can tell you this: M. has read them on his own, without nagging or bribing of any kind, and since they are included in the school’s accelerated reader list, he even aced the quiz and got all the points he needed for the marking period.
As for M.’s eyes, only a minor adjustment was needed this time for his nearsightedness. Come to think of it, it’s M.’s mother who now and then needs major adjustments for her parental nearsightedness.
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