We received ‘The Plano Adventures: The Never-Ending Game’ shortly after we finished reading ‘The Plano Adventures: The Ray Keepers’, so N was still able to recall what the story was about. He was quite excited about reading the story, and peppered me with questions. “What kind of game is it? Why is it never-ending? How do we play it?”
N insisted on bringing the book along for dinner, and pored over it while waiting for his food to arrive. I love the peace and quiet when he’s really engrossed in a book, though it can be difficult to get him to stop reading so that he can eat, but I think it’s a happy “problem” so I don’t really mind that much.
Reading during lunch
In the previous two installations of ‘The Plano Adventures’, we learnt about the three ingredients in Professor Plano’s Clear Vision recipe: Good Distance, Eye Breaks, and Outdoor Time, and how they were used to defeat Lord Myopic. However, the evil Lord Myopic is back with yet another nefarious plan to cover the world in darkness, and Professor Plano’s discovery of a new ingredient: My Power occurs just in time. My Power requires the player to exercise self-control, something extremely difficult once you’re addicted to the game or screen, which explains why Prof Plano believes that it will be the most powerful ingredient of all.
The Never-Ending Game
As usual, N found the “fighting part” the most exciting bit of the story, and chose to draw his own version of it. What is it with boys and fights anyway?
Drawing and Colouring
N’s version of the battle
I asked N if he would like to play a never-ending game, and thankfully, he said no, because he wanted to play other games and sports too. We talked about how he sometimes got upset when we switched the tv off, and he sheepishly agreed to try to use My Power to control himself, so I think that’s a good sign!
When I read ‘The Never-Ending Game’ (on my own, because N finished it all by himself in one night), I could identify with the kids who were addicted to the game. After all, I used to play FarmVille (remember that FB game?) a lot, and spent plenty of time planting and harvesting my crops. The kids in Nettown took on various characters and lost their own identities in the game, which is an all too real situation in today’s world.
What I liked was how the parents of these children noticed that they were obsessed with the game, and took active steps to help their children. It is so important for us parents to know what’s going on in our children’s lives, and we need to step up and be firm when we see that our children are addicted to their screens and games. As adults, we should help our children to learn self-control, no matter how difficult it may be. Personally, I feel that reading stories about similar situations can help me to start a discussion with my kids, and whenever they behave in a particular manner, I’ll remind them of the stories and characters.
If you have a child who perhaps likes watching tv or playing games on gadgets a tad too much, I highly recommend reading ‘The Never-Ending Game’ with him/her. It may be difficult for your child to realise that he himself is addicted, but if he can see how the children in the story had similar traits as him, I think it’s the first step in breaking the addiction.
Happy reading!
BUY THE BOOK
Plano Adventures: The Never-Ending Game on GoGuru Plano Adventures: The Never-Ending Game on Kinokuniya Plano Adventures: The Never-Ending Game is available at Kinokuniya, Times Bookstores, as well as Popular bookstores.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
We have one copy of ‘Plano Adventures: The Never-Ending Game’ to be given away to one reader of Growing with the Tans! To participate, please visit our Instagram page. Terms and conditions apply.
Terms and Conditions: This giveaway will end on Friday, 14th December 2018, at 2359h, and is open to readers with a Singapore mailing address only. The winner will be contacted via the particulars provided when entering this giveaway, and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be selected. All incomplete entries will be disqualified, and all entries will be verified before the winners are announced. To be fair to our sponsor, please note that all fake Instagram accounts (accounts set up purely to take part in contests, with no or very few real posts), will be disqualified. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.
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