Have you ever invited yourself over to someone else’s house or into someone else’s activity or world? Honestly, it’s not something I make a habit of myself because, let’s face it, it feels a little weird, right? Unless, of course, I’m inviting myself into one of my teenager’s worlds. Then, it feels just right, at least as far as meeting them where they are, and that is something I try to make an effort to do. Perhaps it’s because this is how I see my Heavenly Father treating me almost always. Sure, there are times when He coaxes me to move toward Him, but that tends to be preceded almost consistently with His meeting me exactly in the place I am. Because of this, I tend to do likewise where my teenagers are concerned.
That is how I have come to be involved in an epic dragon battle of reading of the Tui T. Sutherland series, Wings of Fire; I am currently in what my 17 year old told me is the second arc of the series and just finished the 9th book (or 4th book of the second arc) with only one book left to wrap up the loose ends of this particular arc. Aside from the fact that I have become immersed in the storyline and invested in many of the characters, what I love most about this series is the connection it creates with my oldest teen, who is the more avid fan. It also loops in my youngest teen, who has read mostly the graphic novel versions of the first arc and is familiar with the story and the dragons from listening to her sister’s observations on the stories.
As a voracious reader, I have devoured this second arc, even though it has been at least a year since I started the series. I have put the audiobooks on hold in my local library app and as soon as I get my notification, I am off and running. And, as someone who was a super nerd when it came to my English classes throughout high school and college—okay, and still today—I love having conversations around the story. It took a few times for me to explain to my neurodivergent teenager that my questions are not necessarily about seeking out spoilers, but about discussing the characters and the events of the story. It’s one of my favorite parts of reading a book with others, I told her, and, so, now I pause my audiobook and seek her out to share my observations and questions.
These moments also invite my 15 year old to join the conversation, and that is an added bonus. At some point, I’m pretty certain we will acquire the full graphic novel series to go with the regular novel series we have on hand. Of course, we may need to replace the original regular novels at some point because my 17 year old has read the series several times through already. In fact, she has started the series again recently and is trying to see if she can catch up to where I am in the series. Given that I am on a four-week waitlist for the final audiobook in this arc, she may well catch me. Unless, as I said to her, I jump into the actual print book because I am eager to discover how this arc concludes.
And, while I have no idea how Tui T. Sutherland is going to close out this arc, I do know that I likely will dive into the third and final arc much sooner than I did the second one. In other words, I do not plan to wait another year before starting the final books of this series. After all, I cannot have my 17 year old overtake me in the reading of this series. Sure, I want to follow the story and the characters, but I’m also incredibly competitive and cannot let my 17 year old win this epic reading battle. you know?
But, even if I did lose the reading battle, I know I’ve gained some wonderful connections with my girls in this reading process. I enjoy hearing their opinions and their insights as much as their witty commentary about some of the storylines and the dragons. I have several books I am currently reading right now, but none matter to me as much as this one because I love having this connection with my teenagers. It reminds me daily how important it is to meet our kids, no matter how old they are, where they are and join their adventure. I am grateful God has joined me on my paths and shown me the importance of doing likewise with these two amazing and remarkable young women. And, now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s back to the epic dragon battle of the second arc.