The boys are reading in the back seat of the car; squeezed between more than a couple dozen different dog-eared books which are built into wobbling cairns between their bodies, their dirt splotched feet and against the pock-marked armrests of our aging Subaru.   Nick is reading the last book of Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimeus trilogy and the latest in the Tamora Pierce fantasy series, purchased with a birthday gift certificate from Grandma. Schuyler's eyes are glued to an illustrated Ripley’s Believe it or Not with a Stars Wars Visual Dictionary and one of my old Xmen compilations blanketing his lap.  

[Note: It is not unusual for the boys to read more than one book at a time.  If it’s a new title by a favorite author, like Tamora Pierce, they’ll take turns reading it, alternating chapters.  Also, if a story is almost at it’s end – let’s say within one or two hundred pages of completion – then another book is necessary as a back-up.  Arguments about the need to bring multiple paperbacks on a five minute car trip to the grocery store are not uncommon.  As the photo illustrates smaller books can also be used as bookmarks.]

Nick pauses from his reading.  I look in the rear-view mirror anticipating a rare conversation with my first-born son. His eyes look into mine.  Yes! A chance to talk.  About something other than books maybe?  I smile back at him and nod, excited, waiting for him to speak.  He has a gleam in his eye.  He wants to tell me something.


Nick: Hey Mom, do you think Bartimeus would beat Wolverine?

Me (crestfallen): Huh?

Sky (not missing a beat): Well I got Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler.  They'd beat Bartimeus.  Nightcrawler is a demon too you know.

Nick: But Bartimeus is five thousand years old!  And I have all the gods and goddesses from Tamora Pierce too.

Sky:  What about Terry Pratchett, like all the books he has ever written?  There is about one hundred.  I would put the whole Terry Pratchett series against Tamora Pierce!

Nick (laughs, confidently):  No way.  Bartimeus would beat Pratchett. Easy.

Sky: Well, I have the world history of horror stories that would scare them.  And Ripley’s Believe it or Not!  There’s some really weird stuff in there! And the complete Star Wars Visual Dictionary.  How about that?  That's like, in the future!

Nick: Light sabers can’t actually hurt gods and goddesses. 

Sky: What if I had a Bible?  Then they wouldn’t exist! 

Nick: Would you throw the Bible at them?

Sky:  Sure!  That would scare them! 

Nick: What if I had the whole San Jose Library?  That would beat the entire Star Wars universe!

Me (gamely): Which library?  There are different branches – there is the Willow Glen Branch and the downtown branch…

Sky: Well, in the Star Wars book there is a whole universe of different planets and each planet has their own library and each library has a zillion books in it.  It would be like a Death Star Library!

Me (exasperated):  Guys!  Books are not weapons!  Why does everything have to be a battle?!

Nick:  What is she talking about?

Sky:  I don’t know.  She never makes any sense to me.

Nick:  Just ignore her. 

Sky:  Wait!  I know!  We could use all of the stories in the universe that end with happily ever after!  That would win!

Nick: Yeah! Happily ever forever!