Read Aloud Family Meaningful Lasting Connections Reviews Summary

Impact on Family and Education

Pros:

• "This book ignited an even greater fire in me to be more consistent and read more with them before they're all grown."
• "Sarah provides a road map for infusing JOY into your parenting life like no other author/speaker that I know."
• "It's amazing what a bond is created in a family with just a little time spent reading aloud!"
• "Reading aloud to your children builds lasting connections with them."
• "Sarah's book is about building up the family culture while providing an avenue to have wonderful conversations with our children and deepening family bonds."
• "Even more importantly, it is a bonding experience that helps build a close relationship between you and your children."
• "This book really encouraged me to prioritize reading aloud with my children, not only by citing convincing research but also by the author's own application within her own family, as well as the fantastic book list suggestions by age!"

Cons:

• "The only issue I had with this book wasn’t nowhere in the description did I see that it was going to be religious at all and we are not a religious family."
• "I was, however, a bit confused that a book titled 'The Read-Aloud Family' organized its book lists by disparate age groups."
• "I thought this was a collection of books to read out loud with our family. It’s a book of why and how to read out loud. Pretty good, just not what I expected."
• "I was disappointed that the examples were so heavily skewed for mother-child relationships."
• "Unfortunately, the author of this book seems to assume that everyone is Christian and will be interested in her frankly not-very-interesting musings on Christian theology along the way."
• "I do wish that the description on both Amazon and on the book itself would make clear that this has a fairly heavy Christian bent."
• "The first is that I found Part 1 not as engaging and rather long."

Practical Application and Book Lists

Pros:

• "In this section, parents/caregivers will find many conversation starters and creative ideas to engage their children in discussions about what they are reading."
• "One of my favorite aspects of this book is the immense book list woven throughout and then categorized at the back according to age, by author, and by chapter each book was mentioned."
• "I especially loved the book lists in the back filled with tons of recommendations for books to read with your family categorized by age."
• "She also gives practical suggestions on how to implement read aloud time in a way that will engage children and suggests a variety of activities to keep little hands busy."
• "Sarah Mackenzie is the best at taking you step by step on how to get started and how to endure your read aloud journey."
• "This book is a fantastic resource and I’m sure I’ll be coming back and referencing it many many times!"
• "Sarah has included lists of favorite read aloud picture and chapter books (with descriptions) for ages birth-teen."

Cons:

• "Then it just got a bit slow and repetitive."
• "A bit repetitive. But the book lists and explanations are invaluable as a homeschool, read aloud parent."
• "But I found the few chapters I read to be repetitive, drawing out points that didn't really need to be drawn out."
• "This book could have been half its size."
• "Mackenzie offers very little in original content; it’s a long, painfully drawn out version of Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook."
• "Although it gives valuable information and tips, the book seems simplistic and redundant, as the author uses many pages to restate her main points over and over."
• "Much of this book is essentially her audio and visual content marketed afresh via a new medium."

Author's Authenticity and Writing Style

Pros:

• "The author lives it out every day and has a terrific podcast with even more tips."
• "Sarah Mackenzie is an outstanding author and teacher. I appreciate her guidance and insight."
• "Sarah is the real deal!"
• "The author is so inspiring - yet realistic - about how to get your family to fall in love with books!"
• "With refreshing clarity, wit, and heart, Sarah Mackenzie has written a book for generations to come."
• "I love how Sarah writes! It’s like, I have know her forever."
• "The practical advice and relatable style of the author make it seem more like I’m having a discussion over coffee with a friend rather than reading."

Cons:

• "This book was slow to start. Part 1 is basically a series of disconnected blog posts, which I find a very frustrating feature of blog-turned-book authors."
• "I think the authors writing skills are quite basic."
• "I don’t feel comfortable reading about things like this and it took away from my enjoyment of the book."
• "I wanted to like this book but it is faith based and I am not religious."
• "I think there is a lot of interesting ideas in this book and but could have been writen without the constant references to Christ and God."
• "This book is light, very light. All the authors ideas are taken directly from the Read Aloud Handbook."
• "I was on the fence about buying this book for so long. It had amazing reviews but I couldn’t see how there would be enough content that could go further than what was basically promoted in the title- but I am so glad I decided to give it a try anyways."