5 Great Books to Read Aloud at the Family Dinner Table

One of my favorite things to do is share stories with my family at the dinner table. A few years ago when I was reading Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series my boys asked me each night at dinner to tell them what had happened to Captain Aubrey and his friend Stephen Maturin. It gave me a chance to share the joys of reading with my sons, and it also encouraged me to keep reading. Another great way to encourage reading in your kids is to read to them at the beginning of dinner. Reading to your family at dinner has several benefits: Everyone has to be quiet while you read. The stories give you something to talk about as a family. You get the chance to model good reading skills. You create family memories that last a lifetime. Reading at the dinner table should be brief, for three reasons: (1) kids have short attention spans; (2) you need time to talk about what you've read; and (3) you need to eat. Here are several titles that contain short readings that are perfect for reading aloud at the dinner table (Be sure to preview each story before reading it to your kids--some of these books contain stories that would launch the kind of discussion you may not be ready for, if you know what I mean): Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story - My eighth grade students love these. True stories with a twist at the end. When you finish with the first book, get More Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story. The World's Shortest Stories - All the stories in this book are 55 words or less. The hard part is not giving in to the temptation to read more than one. Two-Minute Mysteries - Fun little brain exercises for kids between the ages of 9 and 15. 100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories - A terrific collection of Twilight-Zone-type stories edited by Isaac Asimov. Out of print but easy to find used online. Also see Asimov's Microcosmic Tales and 100 Malicious Little Mysteries. 3 Minutes or Less: Life Lessons from America's Greatest Writers - Reading aloud is not just for kids. Adults can read to each other, too. This book is more sophisticated than the others and may be more appealing to couples or empty-nesters; older teenagers may enjoy it too. You can also read from your favorite saint book, Aesop's fables, or chapters from books like the Magic Treehouse series.