Moby Dick

This is just scary.

Tiffany's Uncle and Aunt Rick and Sherry sent Alex a copy of Moby Dick for Christmas. It's not the original version – it's a "Great Classics for Children" version, edited to a 176 page, simplified novel. (If you've ever read Moby Dick, you would understand that the original version is extremely difficult for even literary adults to read and comprehend). I thought that it was a very nice gift, but did not expect it to be read soon – it went on Alex's bookshelf.

A few minutes ago, we were discussing Alex's reading homework. He is supposed to read 15 minutes each day, but we know he reads much more than that, often sneaking books under the covers late at night. His reading homework has been changed so that instead of simply reading 15 minutes, he is now supposed to record how long he did read, and write a few sentences about the reading. He told us that the new format would be easy, and said to us "Tell me any book that you think I didn't read." That one's easy, I thought . . . "Moby Dick". He insisted that he HAD read the book, so I quizzed him a few minutes (I've read the original version twice). Sure enough, he read it. He knew about Ahab and his wooden leg; Moby Dick the white whale; the Pequod (although he couldn't pronounce it, he knew how it was spelled); Queequeg and his tattoos (again, he couldn't pronounce the name); and Ishmael, the narrator. He also knew the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg (they were friends who had met just before the voyage), and how the book ends . . . including the name of the sole survivor.

My jaw dropped. I thought he was up there reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the 15^th time, or Garfield comics. I'm proud not so much that he could read the book, but rather that he chose to read it and stuck with it. He says it took him three days, and he read it between Christmas and New Year.