Predictable Endings

I was putting things away in the kitchen when Dallin, who is eight years old, paused at the counter.

"Mom, how come you always know how books and movies are going to end?" he asked.

"What do you  mean, Dallin?" I asked.

"Like you always know that the good guy will win."  He talked about the protagonist in the book I'm reading aloud to him at bedtime, and how he had known all along he would overcome his obstacles. "It's always like that," he said.

"Are you saying that because you know that in real life, things don't always work out like we think?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said.  "I wish there were more books and movies like that."

We talked about how most people like to have happy endings, but that there are some books and movies without happy endings (which he plans to read/watch).

"Besides," I said.  "In the great story of humankind, we do know the ending already.  When all of this is over, we know that good will win over evil."

"I know," he said, and then he ran off to play.

Harry Potter Books are Good

Caleb just finished the third book in the Harry Potter series and thought it was "good."  You may not be impressed with his assessment, but he wasn't just saying it to be saying it.  Caleb, while a very good reader, rarely reads more than the requisite "few minutes" before bed.  With this book, as well as the first two in the series, I saw him sneaking off to read, cross-legged on the backyard bench, cuddled on the couch, or even at the kitchen counter at times when he would not normally be reading.  He was hooked on these books. Thank you, Mrs. Rowling!