We do a ton of reading in our household.  At any given moment, we’re in the middle of an audio book in the van, a chapter book at home for bedtimes, and then I read many small picture books throughout the week as well.  That’s not even counting the books that my kids are working on for their schoolwork and for their own pleasure.  We read A LOT!

Recently, I was sent a review copy of a delightful book from Barbour Publishing called Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story.  It has such a unique style and great sense of humor that it kept us all engaged!

This book, written by Annie Tipton, is recommended for ages 8-12.  While that might be true for independent reading, I can tell you right away that my 4 year old and 6 year old also enjoyed this book tremendously as a read-aloud before bed.  The retail price for Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story is $5.99, and it is worth that and so much more!

Each chapter of the book begins with a diary entry from the main character, EJ.  The diary pages are adorned with pictures that look like they could be fun little hand-drawn doodles by EJ.  These diary entries always have a lot of humor in them, and it’s written in a way that kids just get.   This adventure follows EJ and the happenings she engages in, and with each chapter, more is revealed.

The story truly does reflect how a young girl might think, feel, and react.  It talks about EJ, her little brother Isaac, her mom, and her dad (who happens to be a pastor), several school friends and their families, a rather interesting woman named Mrs. Winkle, a grouchy neighbor named Mr. Johnson, and many more silly characters.  The story does reflect a Christian lifestyle, and frequently talks about God an what is right or wrong.  These references are casual and not preachy, so it’s a nice way for kids to be influenced by Biblical truths without feeling preached at!

After the diary entries with each chapter, the story continues.  My kids loved when EJ had daydreams.  You see, the daydreams are italicized in the book so you can tell that it’s a slightly altered version of reality that EJ is imagining (and sometimes acting out, causing a few problems along the way).  These daydreams caused more giggles than anything else in the book!

I adore how this book explores having a vivid imagination, how EJ tries to reign it in so she won’t get into trouble, and how her family and friends react to EJ having her head in the clouds.  Even though she’s a little spacey, she is an incredibly smart girl with awesome ideas and a caring heart.

Lessons Learned

Without giving away too much about the book, I will tell you that we did learn a lot through this book.  My kids probably didn’t even realize the lessons, but Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story taught my kids:

• Who people seem to be might be different than who they really are.
• Hearts can change.
• Good deeds are always worthwhile.
• Giving people second chances is a good idea.
• Helping others, even when they don’t seem to deserve it, is better than being bitter or angry.
• You never know what someone is secretly going through, so don’t judge them.  You don’t have the full story!
• Families can have friendly competition between each other.
• There is always hope.
• Love your neighbor.

We loved this!

I won’t tell you much more about the book, but I will say that this chapter book has led to a service project idea that my kids want to be involved with this holiday season.  They were encouraged by something that happened in the story and wish to do for others in the same sort of way that the Payne family does in the story.  I love that it encouraged my children to serve others.  That might be the most important lesson of all.

If your kids love to read, or you love reading to them, I highly recommend purchasing Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story by Annie Tipton. I’m REALLY looking forward to Book 2, which is set to release in March 2014!