Dovey Coe

Readers of this blog will know I'm a sucker for a catchy title.  Unfortunately, all of the great titles I came up with for Frances O'Roark Dowell's Dovey Coe were spoilers.  And if you read this blog you will also know that I am very anti-spoiler.

Of course by me saying all of this you have probably figured out that there is some kind of twist in Dovey Coe.  Well, there is-but there's no way I'm going to tell you what it is.  To prevent any more spoilers I'll give you the summary from the back of the book:

"My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not.  I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars.  I am to prove it, too.  I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him."  

In the reading class I co-teach we are talking about flashback and foreshadowing.  While flashback is easy to spot I have a terrible time finding foreshadowing.  My husband seems to always be able to guess the end of the story where I always feel completely surprised.  Dovey Coe would be an excellent book to use when teaching foreshadowing.  Can you spot it? 

No spoilers....that's kids stuff.  

PS This is also a Reading Olympics book.  

Go Find It

Megan Frazer Blakemore's The Water Castle has to be one of the most realistic "fantasy" books I have ever read.  I think that's why I can't quite decide how I feel about it.  It was a compelling story, splendidly written, and the tale weaved between the past and the present (something I love).  All of these facts make it seem like I should love it; so why do I feel decidedly neutral?

This cover is different than the one
 on the book I read.
 This cover is much better! 

The book centers around the Appledore family and their quest for the Fountain of Youth.  Sounds like it should be fantasy, right?  But it isn't.  In the present day settings Ephraim attends a regular school (albeit all of the students are gifted), in a regular town (albeit one full of history where people live abnormally long lives).  His friendships are usual (except they are the first steps to overcoming old feuds), and his house is just a house (a bit quirky perhaps, and it has all those hidden rooms...).

So as you can see this book isn't quite real but it isn't quite fantasy. Notice I didn't describe the historic Appledore's also featured in the book.  To do so would give way too much away.  You'll have to read the book yourself.

This is a book I enjoyed reading, but not one I couldn't put down.  It walks a strange balance between the past and the present, between reality and myth.  Something about that I just didn't love.  Will I recommend it to students, absolutely.  Was it worth reading, of course.  Is it worthy of being on the Reading Olympics list, indeed it is.  It just wasn't one of my favorite.  And that's OK.  Not every book is a favorite.  And just because I didn't love it doesn't mean that you won't.

Searching out the myth...that's kids stuff.  

Ripple Effect

Margaret Peterson Haddix is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors.  Her stories are engaging, suspenseful and interesting while still being readable (aka even struggling reader will be able to understand the story-it's not so full of high level vocabulary and literary devices that it becomes hard to understand).  These stories are also written from the young main characters perspective, something many of my students really love.

Currently I read Margaret Peterson Haddix's Found.  This is book 1 in her new series, "The Missing."  I suspected this book would be good because I read the Among the Hidden series and loved it.  This new series is completely different but just as good.

Jonah is 13 and he's always known that he was adopted (seeing as how his parents have read every book on doing adoption right), but the records were sealed so he doesn't know anything about his birth parents.  That doesn't really bother Jonah because he's never really wondered about it, he's comfortable with his adoptive family and things are good.  Well, until Jonah starts receiving mysterious notes in the mail.  And his new friend Chip learns he is adopted when he starts receiving the same notes.  Things get even weirder when they learn the FBI was involved with the initial phases of the adoption.

Once Jonah, his sister Katherine, and Chip start diving into the mystery behind the adoptions things really get interesting.  I would love to tell you about it but that would spoil the book.  You'll just have to read it yourself to see what happens.  The title of this post is a clue though...

Finding your past....that's kids stuff

PS We were lucky enough to get the rest of the series at the book fair so I will be finishing them over the weekend!

This is War

Holling Hoodhood just started 7th grade and his teacher is Mrs. Baker.  On Wednesdays, half of the class leaves early for Hebrew school and the other half leaves early for Catechism class at the local Catholic church.  Hollling is Presbyterian so he attends neither.  This means he is the only student in Mrs. Bakers class every Wednesday afternoon.  Thus the Wednesday Wars begin.

Gary D. Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars is told form Holling's perspective.  This made it very enjoyable for me to read since, as a teacher, I naturally read things from the teachers perspective.  It was fascinating to see Holling's perceptions and I wonder how many of my own students feel the same way. Originally, Holling views the Wednesday afternoons he spends with Mrs. Baker as a type of war, but slowly he begins to realize maybe all teachers aren't out to destroy him.

Set in 1967, this book also touches on very significant events in United States history, from the war in Vietnam to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.  But these events are shown through the lens of your typical American family who are most concerned with the family business and the local town. This was a different time, with different family dynamics and parenting styles all of which are masterfully represented in this book.  

My only complaint about the book lies with the cover.  The cover looks very kid-like and silly.  When reading the book I was surprised by its depth, the cover had set me up for something much lighter and more superficial.  As much as we say, "dont' judge a book by it's cover" we all know that people do (myself included!).  I worry that student's won't pick up this book because they think it's too young.

Warring with your teacher...that's kids stuff.  

sssshhhhhh

It's a secret.  It's true!  The Name of this Book is Secret, that's the first book in the "secret series" by Pseudonymous Bosch (heads up-this is also a Reading Olympics book).  As you might imagine, this book is suspenseful and full of intrigue, but in my opinion those things aren't the real selling point of this book.

What made this book great is the tone in which it is written.  It's reads just like someone is telling you a secret, even though the act of telling is against their better judgement.  Listen to this warning from the beginning of the book:

"Generally speaking, books don't cause much harm.  Except when you read them, that is.  Then they cause all kinds of problems.  Books can, for example, give you ideas.  I don't know if you've ever had an idea before, but, if you have, you know how much trouble an idea can get you into...But the main reason this book is so dangerous is that it contains a secret." 

This book follows the story of Cass and Max-Earnest (if those are even their real names) as they try to figure out the source of a host of mysterious happenings.  Cass and Max-Earnest both have their own quirks, Cass is working to become a survivalist while Max-Earnest can't seem to stop talking, but that's nothing compared to the very unique people they run into on their journey.  Mix in a little alchemy (is that really a spoiler-most big secrets can be traced back to alchemy) and you have the makings of a big adventure.  

Overall a very engaging read.  Throughout the first half of the book I wasn't sure if I would finish the series, but now that I've finished the book I just have to see what happens next. 

Telling a secret...that's kids stuff.   

That's Personal

Every now and then a book will come along and you feel like it is just speaking right to your soul.  The book so closely mirrors your thoughts and feelings that you could have written it yourself.  Donna Cooner has written not one but two of these books.

The first is Skinny, the story of a high school girl who is morbidly obese and decides to get gastric bypass surgery.  The book chronicles her transformation both inside and out.  What I found most gripping about this book was the inner monologue of the main character-Ever.  Ever gives voice to the dark thoughts that everyone who has ever struggled with weight knows all too well.  As someone who has always been heavier than average, Ever's journey deeply resonated with me.  This book is unflinchingly honest and definitely worth the read.

The second Donna Cooner book is Can't Look Away.  In this book famous beauty blogger Torrey Grey has her world turned upside down when her younger sister is struck and killed by a drunk driver.  I myself have suffered gut wrenching losses due to drunk drivers so I felt Torrey's pain.  I could also resonate with her journey through the guilt and anger and final to a place where she can start to accept her, "new normal."  Moving states and changing schools don't appear to help with this transition but it just might work out in the end.  Yes, this book is sad but that doesn't mean it's not worth reading.  This book is real and honest and sometimes that's just what you need.

Getting personal...that's kids stuff.  

The Most Wonderful Place on Earth

I just finished the most wonderful book. I mean literally, just, finished it.  I read the last page, gave that bittersweet sigh you give when you finish a truly fantastic book (you're happy because it was a great read, but sad because it's over), and thought, "I have to share this book."

What is this book, you ask.  It's Chris Grabenstein's Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  Think Willy Wonka made a library.  Mr. Lemoncello's library has got to be one of the coolest places ever described.  Part of me wishes this book is made into a hit movie and someone makes a theme park out of the library so I at least have a chance of experiencing just a small taste of what this library is like.
 

And now I'm torn.  There are so many simply spectacular things I want to tell you about this book, but part of the joy in reading this book is discovering all of the hidden secrets.   Suffice it to say a successful game maker (of both board games and video games) decides to use some of his enormous fortune to build a library unlike any other.  Yes, there are games there-but even better visiting the library is a game within itself.

One final teeny tiny spoiler.  This book references tons of other books-be on the lookout!  Sometimes it's the title, other times a famous line or character.  The edition I read has a list of all the books in the back (formatted as a checklist-and you know how much I love reading all the books on a list...).

Realizing how amazing a library can be...that's kids stuff.  

P.S.  I realized I didn't tell you anything about the characters-as you might guess based on my glowing reviews-they are wonderful.  My favorite is Sierra-she reminds me of me!

Getting your Fix

I teach reading and as part of that I try to read the books that my students are reading.  I also make a concerted effort to read a variety of genres so that I have plenty of things to recommend.  That being said, I definitely have a favorite "type."  Something that when I need to "get my fix" I go to.  For me, my type of book usually features a dystopian or fantastical society, a young hero or heroine, and some new world they are finding (Think Harry Potter; The Giver; Divergent, etc.).  Also these books tend to be part of a series.  

This week is conference week at my school.  Unfortunately, as students get older not as many parents come to conferences which means here in 8th grade I have a lot of free time during conferences.  This was a perfect opportunity for me to get my fix.  Jeannie DuPrau's The City of Ember, hit all of the criteria to be my type of book.  

Bonus-this book is also a movie

Lina Mayfleet, the main character, has just turned 12 and is given her assignment.  But things are not as rosy as the Mayor of Ember makes them out to be.  Blackouts are occurring with more and more frequency and supplies are running low.  Lina and her friend Doon seem to be the only people who feel this is cause for alarm.  Since I've already told you I like books with a young hero/heroine you can probably guess that they end up saving the day.  But how they save the day I'll leave for you to discover.  

One of the reviews on the back of the book describes it as, "science fiction for those who do not like science fiction."  This is absolutely true and probably the reason I liked this book but didn't love it.  I'm missing that fantasy element, but for a student who prefers more realistic fiction this is a perfect book.  And don't get me wrong, I did really enjoy this book and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series. 

Getting your fix...that's kids stuff.  

Monopoly

"It's not a good game of Monopoly unless somebody cries."  This is the viewpoint held by my husband and his family.  I'll be the first to admit I am a very competitive game player but bringing somebody to tears is just a little too intense even for me.  Thankfully, Will Tuppence and his friends have a very different outtake.  They gather weekly for a round of Monopoly, and though there are some surprising upsets, there aren't any tears.

Will is the main character in Jerry Spinelli's Smiles to Go (see Spinelli's Newbery winning novel here), and Monopoly is not the only unusual hobby he and his friends share.  This group of 9th graders also enjoy Astronomy and Will is a chess champion. But wait!  Before you think this is a nerd book let me tell you that Will and his pals are also avid skateboarders.  I love that Spinelli's characters don't conform to any one specific "type."  They're real-like us, multi-faceted and unable to be pigeon-holed.

That's not to say there aren't universals.  Like many other 9th graders Will struggles with knowing his place at school, what should he do with his life, and-the big one-why do I get so excited when I see certain girls.  How does this boyfriend/girlfriend thing work?

And, as many people can relate to, Will has a younger sister.  A charming though pesky and often irritating younger sister.  Like all siblings they test each other, but when the unthinkable happens (and no-of course I'm not going to tell you what it is), they realize how much they really love each other.  Wait-I know what you're thinking and don't worry, this isn't a sappy book either.

  Finally, Will is a planner. This is something I definitely relate to.  As soon as Will started listing out his plans I immediately felt connected to this character.  I rooted for him, I wanted his plans to work.  Did they?  You'll just have to read the book.

Taking games seriously....that's kids stuff.  

These Crazy Kids

One of the things I try to do is read the books I see a lot of my students reading.  Especially those books they keep reading as I'm trying to teach.  You know, when the put the book under their desk and think that I don't notice.  Secretly, I love that they have found a book they just can't put down and I make a mental note to read that book later.  Of course as the teacher I have to say something like, "It's time to put that away and focus on the lesson."

Buddy by M.H. Herlong was one of these books.  I must admit that I was guilty of starting class a

minute late because I couldn't put the book down.

When I was little my brother begged and begged for a dog.  Every project he did at school revolved around why he should get a dog until finally his teacher called home and said, "please get that boy a dog."  Li'l T puts that kind of effort into getting and caring for a dog, even though his family doesn't think they can afford one.  Li'l T does every odd job imaginable to raise money for Buddy.

Li'l T and his family live in New Orleans and once Buddy joins the family he and Li'l T are inseparable.  That is until Hurricane Katrina strikes and not everyone can fit in the car.  I can't sugar coat it for you, that part was heart-wrenching.  At the risk of giving too much away I can say I was satisfied with the ending.

This is a beautiful tale of an adolescent who maneuvers his way to adulthood with the help of his ever faithful dog Buddy.  I know that sounds sappy and I assure you this book isn't sappy (many of the boys I teach wouldn't have read it if it was).  It is powerful and really grabs you at an emotional level..ugh, that still sounds sappy.  Just read the book and you'll see what I mean.

Doing whatever it takes to get your dog...that's kids stuff.  

Love Dogs

Anyone who has seen my desk can probably guess that I love dogs.  After all with supplies like these I'm not exactly keeping it secret.









So for my next series of posts I'm going to focus on books about dogs.  My favorite is the first poetry book I ever loved-or even liked for that matter.  You see I'm not really a big fan of poetry.  I know that may seem surprising since I tend to write favorably about all the books I post here; but poetry just isn't really my thing.  So what is this book that changed my mind about poetry.  It's Sharon Creech's Love that Dog.

Written entirely from the perspective of a 3rd grade student, and mostly in free verse Love that Dog tells the story of Jack's trip through the year studying poetry and writing about his own beloved dog.  I have read this book to my husband and to all of my classes.  I love this book and by the end I love Jack and I love that dog too.

The best part?  She's written a sequel.  It's called Hate that Cat.

Loving dogs....that's kids stuff.  

PS Sharon Creech is also a Newbery winner.  Read about that book here.

Detective Work

When my brother and I were younger we would play "spy" with some of our friends.  Basically whenever my parents had people over we would play, for a bit, with their kids then we would organize spy sessions to see what the adults were doing.  They were never talking about anything interesting, but there was a thrill in overhearing even snippets of conversation.  Unfortunately, the fear of getting caught kept us from getting close enough to do any useful spying.


Mo LoBeau, star of Shelia Turnage's Three Times Lucky, had no such fear.  She and her best friend
Dale start their own detective agency and bravely confront all the towns mysteries.  But these aren't the dinner party conversations I tried to observe, theses are real cases: upstream mothers, missing pets, and even murder and kidnapping.

The charm of this book is one hundred percent wrapped up in the main character, Mo, from whose perspective the story is told.  Mo (short for Moses), is a maybe orphan found floating in a basket after a hurricane.  She has gumption and spunk and all of those other antiquated pleasantries we use to describe a particularly self-sufficient, if a little over bearing and involved sixth grader.  I loved Mo.  She is exactly the kind of student I would love to have in my class.  All of the extra excitement and intrigue are just the icing on the cake, I loved this book because I loved Mo-and I would have loved it even if Mo just had an ordinary summer.

Solving mysteries...that's kids stuff.  

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Rebecca Stead's Liar & Spy is another one of those books that has been sitting on my classroom shelf that I would recommend to students but had never read.  I bought it at last years book fair because I knew Rebecca Stead from reading When You Reach Me.  I just assumed that Liar & Spy would also be good. 

I was....mostly right.  I loved When You Reach Me, mostly because I made a ton of connections to that book.  Liar & Spy is just as engaging, the story is just as well written, and it is full of it's own quirks (something I love in a book).  I did really enjoy Liar & Spy, I just didn't love it as much.  

As the title suggests the book contains both a liar and a spy.  You find out who the spy is fairly early in the book but you have to read to the end to discover who's the liar.  Of course I'm not going to give away that juicy tidbit here.  

Liar & Spy is the story of young Georges (yes his name has an s at the end.  Want to know why?  Read the book) as he learns to navigate middle school in the midst of his family's move and a sharp increase in the number of hours worked by his mother.  Georges makes new friends in his building and discovers a new way to cope at school. He learns that maybe having a silent s at the end of your name isn't such a bad thing.  Quirks give character.   Mixed in is a delightful blend of quirky characters.   Parents who don't name their children until they are two-so that the children can show who they are before getting a name, students who believe the taste bud test in science class will deliver their destiny, and so many more.  

I was right to recommend this book to my students, it is definitely a good read.  Phew.  How would I have redeemed myself if it turned out to be terrible?  

Embracing your quirks...that's kids stuff.  

Al Capone does What!!??

Today I will be looking at another one of the Reading Olympics books and it also happens to be a Newbery Honor Book as well as a New York Times Best Seller.  All of these distinctions make me think that this is going to be an excellent book.

The book is Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does my Shirts.  Now at first I thought that was just a catch title or an allusion to the gangster days of old.  But as I started reading I realized that the setting is 1935 on Alcatraz Island.  Moose's dad works as a guard/electrician at Alcatraz prison and in that time all of the guards lived on the island with their families.  All of the families would send out their laundry to the prison and the prisoners did all of the families laundry and sent it back.  At this point I thought, "oh my goodness, Al Capone really does his shirts!"

As a special education teacher, as well as a reading teacher, what I really appreciated about this book was the relationship between Moose and his 'younger' sister Natalie.  Natalie has what appears to be Autism, though her diagnosis is never explicitly stated in the book.  I think that sometimes we put so much attention on the student with the special needs we forget about their "typical" siblings.  It was refreshing to see something from a siblings point of view.

I found this book to be engaging, honest, and astounding all at the same time.  The setting adds a level of intrigue and drama to an already captivating story.  This book is definitely deserving of all of its accolades.

Making laundry interesting....that's kids stuff.  

Confession

Ok, confession time.  I have a shelf full of books in my classroom and I often encourage students to read these books.  Most of these books I have read, but some-confession-I have not; but I still try to sell them to my students.  One such book is James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein's I Funny.  

I just assumed this book was a Diary of a Wimpy Kid type book but, another confession, I was wrong. I Funny tells the story of a middle-school boy who, well, is funny.  After much encouragement he decides to enter the Funniest Kid Contest, will he win? Of course I can't tell you that, you'll have to read the book.


A delightful blend of story and sketches, I Funny is an entertaining read that will definitely put a smile on your face.  But it's not all jokes.  You will fall in love with Jamie and get deeply invested in his story.  You see Jamie's life hasn't been easy, he uses humor to help cope.  There is some of the usual, "middle-school" humor, but many of Jamie's jokes are just plain funny-even to adults.  Definitely worth the read.  And if you liked the first one, get excited, because this is now a series!

Making a joke.......that's kids stuff.  

Theme Song

This year I have the exiting opportunity of helping out the the Reading Olympics team.  If you don't know about Reading Olympics you should definitely check it out here.  Every year the committee comes out with a book list and since I just have a handful of Newbery winners to finish I thought I would start looking at some of the Reading Olympics books.

The first one I read was Pam Munoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising.  I have to say if the rest of the books on the list are as good as this one it is going to be a very good time indeed.  The story is about a young girl, Esperanza, who is the daughter of a very wealthy Mexican rancher.  Her life is filled with a loving family, friends, school, parties and beautiful dresses, but that all changes when her father is attacked by bandits.  Now Esperanza must move to California in the middle of the great depression and find work in a labor camp.  The situation is anything but easy, however-as the title suggests-Esperanza must find a way to rise.

Sometimes I think, "If this character had a theme song, what would it be?"  For Esperanza I was stuck between two options.  One is Stronger by Kelly Clarkson (watch it here) and the other is Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows and Joni Mitchell (seen here).  Read the book, listen to the songs, see which one you think fits best.

Having a theme song...that's kids stuff

True Story

I have confessed to being a history nerd so you're probably assuming that I am a big fan of non-fiction-especially when it's about history.  Well.....that's not entirely correct.  I like reading dairies or
journals from people in history and I love reading stories from history (historical fiction OR non-fiction).  But a classic historical
text isn't always my favorite thing to read.

So I must now confess Russell Freedman's Lincoln: A Photobiography was hard for me to get through.  I loved all of the prints and engravings from the time period.  He was right to title this a "photobiography," there are pictures (whether they be prints, engravings or newspapers) at least every other page.  However, the style of writing, to me, seemed to drag on.

But this book won the Newbery, people who care a lot about reading deemed this book worthy of an award.  So I asked myself, "why didn't I care for this book?"  I think it came down to this-I already knew the story.  Lincoln is one of our most celebrated presidents, he gets a lot of coverage in pretty much every US history class.  I grew up just outside of D.C., I visited the Dr. Mudd house (where Dr. Mudd set the leg of John Wilkes Booth), I have seen the theatre where Lincoln was shot, I have visited Gettysburg and taken the tour multiple times.  So because of all of this, there wasn't a whole lot I learned from this book.  Without all of this prior knowledge I think I would have enjoyed this book infinitely more.  I would definitely suggest it for a middle school history class where students are just beginning to learn about Lincoln.

One special treat that this book contains is the last chapter titled, "A Lincoln Sampler."  I am a great lover of quotes, and the Lincoln sampler is exactly that-a sampling of quotations.  This included not  just his most notable speeches and famous lines, but also some quips-giving a depth to the president that we don't always get.  This sampler portrays Lincoln not just as a great president who saved the Union and freed the slaves, but as an actual human being.  This is my favorite quote: "Common-looking people are the best in the world; that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them."  

Seeing someone as a real person....that's kids stuff.  

It Smells Old

As if you didn't already think I was a nerd, I have an extra nerdy confession for today.  I love the smell of books especially old books.  Older books also tend to have thicker paper with roughened edges-I love that too.

So I was very excited to find that the library copy of Kate Seredy's White Stag possessed all of these qualities.  My excitement grew even more when I read this quote from the introduction, "Those who want to hear the voice of pagan gods in wind and thunder, who want to see fairies dance in the moonlight, who can believe that faith can move mountains, can follow the tread on the pages of this book.  It is a fragile thread; it cannot bear the weight of facts and dates."  You see it was the stories that drove me to study history-I had no interest in a long string of facts dates.  It was the stories that mattered.

Though Seredy's White Stag is short, less than 100 pages, it reads like a story that matters.  It feels like an epic.  Originally copyrighted in 1937 some of the language is dated, and I wonder how that would affect a modern students reading of this text.  To be honest, I think it would deter a great many students.  But for those who pushed past the language, they would find a captivating tale of the Huns and Magyars as they search for their permanent home.

Though not quite as gripping as some currently popular series, i.e. Divergent, this is still a story worth reading.  As the introduction hinted it is indeed a story of faith and faeries and pagan gods, but more than that it is the story of an entire nation trying to follow their god,  and the long-promised child who guides them.

Smelling your books....that's kids stuff.  

Nosebleeds, Groundings and....Obituaries?

Jack Gantos' incredibly entertaining book Dead End in Norvelt tells the story of young Jack Gantos who ends up being grounded for the entire summer.  I know what you're thinking, "how good could this possibly be if the main character is grounded for the whole book?"  Let me assure you-it's good.

You see though Jack is grounded his mother still lets him help others in his community. His elderly
neighbor, Miss Volker, has such bad arthritis that her hands are often unusable so she recruits Jack to help.  What does he help with?  Miss Volker's job is to write the obituaries for all of the original town residents.  Along the way she and Jack get into all kinds of shenanigans and Miss Volker imparts her wealth of town history to Jack.  At times helping Miss Volker is even better than not being grounded!

Written from Jack's perspective, Dead End in Norvelt tells the story of a dying small town from the eyes of a young boy-an imaginative, lovable, highly energetic young boy who is plagued by near constant nosebleeds-at that.  It is impossible not to be hooked (especially if you are an admitted history nerd like myself).

Finding fun even while grounded.....that's kids stuff.  

History Nerd

Little-known fact about me; in college, I minored in history. The bulk of this coursework was done during my study abroad semester in Athens, Greece.  I liked history before my time in Athens, but a semester spent surrounded by the remnants of ancient history was enough to make me a full-fledged history nerd.  Here are some pictures from the Temple of Poseidon, located in Sunion, just a short trip outside Athens.  *Bonus points if you can guess what book series this is leading into.*

  Amazing, right? Like I said it's enough to turn you into hard core history nerd.





Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of fantasy.  If I'm looking for a book to read just for fun, nine times out of 10 that book will be fantasy.  So what do you get when you make a  YA book, that's fantasy, and mixes in a significant chunk of history-even better Greek history?  Well for one you get a book that I'm definitely going to love, but you also get Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series.
This series revolves around a group of demi-gods (half human, half god), all of whom have a parent who is one of the gods of Olympus.  The main character, Percy Jackson, works with other demi-gods and a variety of mythical creatures to battle monsters and help wage the battles of Olympus. Oh, and they go to summer camp.  But Camp Half-Blood is like no other summer camp you've ever seen.

The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian 

These books meet all of my criteria, fantasy, history, adventure, it's a series, some (but not all) of the series have been made into movies.  And best of all Rick Riordan has written a ton of other books! The Kane Chronicles follows the same concept, but is based on Egyptian gods. Heroes of Olympus is set in the same world as Percy Jackson, but introduces the Roman form of the gods, with character overlap weaving in and out-much like the Greek and Roman gods interacted in history.

If you're looking for a great world to get lost in, especially as winter is coming with snow days sure to follow, this would be an excellent choice.  

Being a history nerd.....that's kids stuff.  

Books, Movies and Music

One of the things I love doing in my classroom is playing music (low in the background) while students are working independently.  I think it creates a great tone for the classroom and it really increases student engagement.  It also goes a long way in making my classroom a place where students want to be.   One of my new favorite Pandora mixes is "Film Scores."  Students have a great time guessing what movie the music comes from.  And it makes the days activity feel much more epic.

I bet you're wondering where books come into this.  Well, as you can tell from my previous posts I am focusing, for the moment, on books that have been made into movies.  One of my favorite film scores (which comes from a great movie, which was inspired by a great book) came on. What was it you ask?  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.  And even better, from a reading teacher's perspective, not all the books have been made into movies. 

I loved these books as a child (I also really love the cover of this edition-it's the one I own). I think it was one of the first series that I really got into.  Each story is short enough to be read quickly but has enough detail and adventure to be a thrilling read.  Most of the stories center around a group of 4 siblings who travel to an alternate world, through a variety of means (most famously through the wardrobe) and after defeating the existing evil, become rulers of that world.

The series is:
The Magicians Nephew
                                     The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
                                     Prince Caspian
                                     The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
                                     The Silver Chair
                                     The Horse and His Boy
                                     The Last Battle
There is some debate on what order these books should be read in since the publication order does not match the chronological order.  My opinion is the order doesn't really matter-all the books are wonderful and worth reading in any order you can. 

Making your day a little bit more epic....that's kids stuff. 

Birthdays!

Today is my birthday!! Hooray!  One of the ways I like to celebrate is by treating myself. This year I treated myself to some new books on kindle.  I don't love reading from a tablet, I much prefer an actual paper book; however, I do love seeing an intriguing preview at the movies followed by the words, "based on the best selling novel" and being able to own that book almost instantly. 

That is exactly how I came to own the Maze Runner trilogy.  James Dashner has written an action packed trilogy: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure.  There is also a prequel (which I confess I have not yet read) called The Kill Order.  This is another series set in a post-apocalyptic world, but what this series has that the others don't is mystery.  In The Hunger Games or Divergent we understand the rules of this society.  In The Maze Runner people are dropped into a compound surrounded by a maze (which is full of terrifying monsters), but their memories have been modified so they have no idea where they are or how they got there.  As the reader, you get to try to figure it all out right along with the characters.

I must admit I was exhausted at the end of the first book, this book is action packed-heavy on the action.  But as soon as I finished the first one I went straight to the Kindle Store and bought the next two (another Kindle feature that is both awesome and dangerous).  I had to figure out how this series ended!  Also the second two books were just as full of action and suspense, I did not feel let down the way you sometimes can when reading later books in a series.  This series was definitely a treat worth buying!

Treating yourself.......that's kids stuff. 

Favorites

One question I get asked a lot is, "so, what's your favorite book?"  Sometimes I brush it off with, "That question is impossible to answer" or "well it depends on my mood."  But if I'm really honest with myself I do have a favorite.  If you read my last post you probably think my favorite is Harry Potter.  While I do love those books they don't quite get the favorite spot.  My absolute most favorite book of all time is............The Giver by Lois Lowry.  Other people think it's pretty spectacular as well because it won the Newbery Medal (which puts Lois Lowry in the exclusive club of authors who have won more than one medal).  Also it is now a major motion picture (which is not anywhere near as good as the book but is a pretty good movie in it's own right). 

This society has decided to make the move to sameness.  Your childhood years are marked by certain rituals, at 1 you  moved from the nurturing center to live with your family, at 9 you get your bicycle, and at 12 you are given your assignment.  Your assignment is like your career and the handing out of assignments is the culmination of the ceremony that marks each years changes.  The ceremony proceeds like normal until the chief elder skips Jonas.  She reveals that Jonas has not been assigned he has been "selected."  After that Jonas' life is forever changed.  To see how he responds to "sameness' you'll have to read the book. 

My copy is signed!!!

To make it even better Lowry has rounded out the story in the next three books, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. I can honestly say I have never been more satisfied with an ending than with this series.  While Harry Potter offered a lot of firsts, The Giver was the first book that really made me think.  Perhaps that's why it's my favorite. 

Picking favorites.........that's kids stuff

It's Magic

How do you even begin to describe a book that defined most of your childhood?  A series where you anxiously awaited each new release and got every new book the day it came out even if it meant waiting in line for hours?  A story that you love so much you take the time to re-read it every summer? It's magic.  That kind of book lets you enter a whole new world.  When you're reading it you are completely enveloped in the story and you lose track of reality.  As one of my students said the other day, you go to "bookworld."

For me that book (or in this case books) was the Harry Potter series.  J.K. Rowling's popular series is beloved by many and I am no exception.  I was 10 when I read the first book and I remember hoping against hope that an owl would swoop up to my window and I would get my letter inviting me to Hogwarts.  I had always loved reading, but this was the first series that captivated me, the first series where I stayed up through the night just to finish the book.  The first book where I completely forgot my own reality and was completely engrossed in the wizarding world. The first book that inspired me to make up my own stories in that world.  The first book where I physically shed tears over the death of a character. 

Normally I give a quick description of the book, but I'm not going to do that here.  The smashing success of both the books and movies mean that many of you probably already know the story.  And if you don't-even better.  I want you to experience that same wonder that I felt when I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Every single book in this series is fantastic.  Though it is written for young adults any reader can appreciate the story and the themes go deep resonating even with the oldest, wisest adult.  I cannot recommend these books enough.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

 

Waiting for your owl to come....That's Kids Stuff

Book or Movie

One of the things I try to do is read all of the books that are currently being made into movies.  Teaching middle school I know that movies really grab the attention of my students so I want to suggest books that are current AND they could see as movies.  I know there are a lot of purists out there who only want to read the book, but especially for struggling readers it can be helpful to see the movie first.  That way you already have a sense of the characters and plot so comprehending the book becomes much easier.  And (sneaky teacher move here) many of the books being  made into movies are part of a series, so once a kid gets hooked on the first one they will have to read the second book before the second movie comes out!  Here is a smattering of some book series that have already been made into movies.

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth (Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant).  I must admit the day I started Divergent I did not sleep well because I could not put this book down.  I was up half the night finishing the story.  Tris, the main character, lives in a society where everyone is sorted into a faction based on what they value most.  One faction values kindness, another honesty, the third courage, another values learning and the last values service.  But, as you may be able to guess by the title, not everyone fits neatly into one category....   Definitely a thrilling read and, bonus, not all the movies have been released yet so you will have to read the book first! If you do read it be sure to tell me what faction you think you are in (my new favorite question to ask). 

 Next up is the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mocking Jay).   First lets just take a second to appreciate that this another blockbuster series with a female lead!  What a wonderful shift from stories where the girl is the one who needs to be rescued.  Now we have girls who do the rescuing.  This is another dystopian society only this time society is divided by geographic area and each area produces a different kind of good.  The twist here is that the government has saved society from total annihilation by war.  To pay back the government for this benevolence each area must offer up one girl and one boy to compete in The Hunger Games.  All of the tributes are locked in an arena (which is filled with it's own hazards) and fight to the death, winner take all.  Watch as our heroine Katniss battles her way through the games.  As you can imagine it's anything but easy. 

What's great about these two series is that they are similar enough that if you liked one you will probably really enjoy the other.  So if you liked the first of either series you now have 5 other books you can put on your "to read" list. 

Reading the book before seeing the movie.....that's kids stuff. 

Re-Vamped and Revived

I started this blog when I was in graduate school as a way to chronicle my journey through all of the Newbery winning books.  Now that I get to teach reading I find that I am constantly being asked, 'What book should I read?"  I thought I would revamp this blog to help answer that very question. 

What's already here?
Most of the Newbery medal books are already here.  If you click on the tab for "Newbery Winning Books" you will find a complete list of books.  If you click on the book title it will take you to the post I wrote about that book.  If you can't click on the title it means I haven't read it (yet!) or haven't activated the link yet.  Both situations I will be working to remedy in the near future. 
These books won an award for a reason.  Though I wouldn't say they were all favorites all are well written and worth a read!

There are also a few of the Caldecott winning books here.  These books win awards based on the quality of their illustrations.  They are most often easy reads, books you would find in preschool/kindergarten classrooms; but lets be honest-who doesn't love a good picture book every now and then?

What's coming?
New books are constantly being written and I have read tons of amazing books that didn't win a medal.  As I read books that I think are especially fantastic I will write a quick summary (don't worry no spoilers)/review for this blog. 

I hope this becomes a helpful tool for you and I am very excited to track my reading once again! 

Reading books for fun....that's kids stuff!