I have ALWAYS wanted to sit on a roof and read. For years this has been on my bucket list – excuse me, my life list. Right outside my bedroom window is a section of roof above our garage and it has always seemed to me like the perfect reading nook.
Just imagine:
It’s a chilly dark night and you have a suspenseful book to read. You grab a blanket and climb out the window to sit precariously against the house in hopes that you don’t fall off the roof. Anne Shirley walked atop a roof, so why can’t I sit on one?
I remember once when I was much younger I told my mom of my deep seated desire to sit on the roof overlooking the neighborhood below like Skye does in the Penderwick books. I was told that I had better not do so or I would be in very big trouble. (No worries, Mom; I’m not blaming you and I appreciate your concern for my safety)
Some things that you greatly want as a six or seven year old are desires you grow out of (examples include cutting a hole in your brother’s bedroom floor so you can have a rope ladder down to the family room, or teaching your pet rabbit to play the piano in an attempt to make you famous) but I still haven’t grown out of the need to sit on my roof and read.
If I was feeling especially brave I would take my violin with me and live out me dream to be the fiddler on the roof.
It’s not even that I’m scared to fall and break all my bones (although I would be afraid for my violin’s safety, which is the reason I probably wouldn’t take it with me). The reason I have not yet lived out my dream of reading on the roof is based on a few logical reasons.
For starters, a repair man once climbed up there and a few roof tiles broke. Since it is technically my parents’ roof I do not want the guilt or responsibility of replacing broken roof tiles. I should add that those broken roof tiles do contribute to my desire to climb out on that roof. Every morning when I open the blinds I see the broken roof tiles scattered around and I greatly want to set them neatly together. The mess bugs me.
But quite honestly, I am afraid of falling off the roof. Would I really be able to sit and enjoy the moment if I were simultaneously imagining the roof tiles sliding and me going down with them? And so, for now, I will only imagine sitting on the roof and maybe one day I will actually climb out there to read a good book. I would suggest that you, too, keep your reading enjoyment at safe elevations.
Books About Roof Readers
My lifelong desire to sit on the roof comes firstly from Skye Penderwick, who sits on the roof to contemplate life. If I remember correctly, it is in The Penderwicks on Gardam Street where you can first read about Skye doing this.
And of course, there is The Candymakers. Miles O’leary sits on his roof to, like Skye, contemplate life — and death. I think they should be friends. What do you think? Would Miles and Skye get along?
In The Girl Who Could Fly Piper McCloud is found atop a roof multiple times. I don’t remember her thinking about life up there but that’s probably because she is usually taking flight off the roof.
The Vanderbeeker family has a rooftop that I would LOVE to be invited to! In all the Vanderbeeker books the children go up there for meetings or to use the windchime water contraption they designed. In one of the later books they even watch a movie on the roof, which I think would be very fun.
The plot of Sweep takes place atop so many rooftops. This is one of my absolute favorite books and I will most likely do more posts about it in the near future. The chimney sweep girl and her monster seem to always be on one rooftop or another. If you need to live vicariously through a rooftop character than Sweep is the book for you.
I know for sure that I’ve read quite a few other books where the characters hang out on their roof and I’m always a little bit envious. What books about rooftop perching characters have you enjoyed? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
Writing inspiration for my Inkling Pals
Chances are that your parents don’t want you on any roofs. That’s okay though! You can write a story or poem about a rooftop character!
Does your character get stuck on a rooftop? Does he live there? Is she scared of heights? What does your character enjoy doing on the rooftop? Do they paint up there? Maybe they sit there to watch for birds, dragons, or aliens. Is it their own rooftop that they sit on or that of someone else’s house? Does this person know that their roof is the setting of a fantastic adventure, and are they friend or foe?
Use these questions to get your creative gears in motion.
I would love to hear all about your story in the comments or you can email the story to me at jessapillowcaseproject@gmail.com
If writing isn’t something you can enjoy, draw or paint a picture inspired by rooftops and send a picture of it to me at the email address above.
