Are you motivated by a challenge??

   

He's a Spy!

Don't worry that's not a spoiler.  They give you that information on the back of the book.  (Side note, if you aren't sure a book is for you or not read the back cover or dust jacket summary along with the first few pages.  That will let you know if the book is on a topic you are interested in and if the readability level is good for you.  Do NOT just grab a random book off the shelf and force yourself to read it start to finish).

Back to our spy.  Alex Rider lives with his uncle Ian and everything seems normal.  That is until Ian is Stormbraker.  This is the first book in the Alex Rider series and it is getting a lot of buzz from my group of eighth graders.

killed in a mysterious accident and Alex is recruited to continue his uncles work.   This is the story of Anthony Horowitz's

Stormbreaker was excellent!!  As I was reading I couldn't stop thinking, "man Alex is soo cool."  Now I realize that statement makes it sound incredibly lame but if you give this book a read you will see Alex really is soo cool.  Alex is the kind of teenager every other teenager dreams of being.  He has an exciting life, martial arts skills, and a ton of knowledge in a variety of subjects.

I cannot wait to see what he does next in the rest of the series.

Saving the world...that's kids stuff.  

PS This was also made into a movie in the early 2000's.  I have never seen it, but the Internet tells me it wasn't very good.  Just goes to show you don't judge a book by its movie.

Get Pumped!

A good reminder for all of my students who are mad because they only thing they can read after the state testing is an old-fashioned paper book.  No e-readers allowed.

Reading a good old-fashioned book...that's kids stuff

Let's Start a Club

On this dreary Thursday I am throwing it back to one of my favorite series.  I remember devouring all of these books and always being excited whenever a new one came out.  Not only did I love reading these books, but they inspired hours of games I played with my friends.

What were these wonderful books?  It was the series started by Ann M. Martin, The Babysitters Cub (or BSC as the cool kids called it).  I loved reading about this group of girls and all of their adventures.  And they inspired me to babysit myself which is how I got all of my spending money in high school.  I even worked as a nanny during graduate school.

As the title implies, it's about a group of friends who decide to start a babysitters club-they meet and people can call to book a babysitter.  They divide up the jobs so everyone gets a chance to make some extra money.  The books are really about the girls read.  Some of the references may be a little dated at this point but I think the next generation of girls would still enjoy these books.

Many people will dismiss these books on the grounds that they don't have "literary merit."  While I do try to focus on books with substance (Newbery Winners, Reading Olympics Books, ALA book lists) I don't want to discount fun reads like this.  ANY reading is GOOD reading!

Sure some books may not challenge students in the same way, but they are still improving their fluency, mental stamina and focus.  Most importantly  they are developing a love of reading.  Series like The Babysitters Club are part of what made me a lifelong reader.  They were fun to read so they made me like reading.  And that is worth more than any medal.

Loving what you read...that's kids stuff

P.S.  I love the Newbery Winners, Reading Olympic Books and ALA book lists-but they aren't the only books worth reading or the only books that have value.

Are you psychic?

I must admit, mystery is typically not a genre I gravitate toward.  It's not that I dislike it, it's just The Third Eye is changing my mind about mystery.  When I think of mystery I think stressful.  The Third Eye had it's stressful moments, to be sure, but overall the book was engaging and exciting.
something I never seem to choose.  Lois Duncan's

Karen is trying desperately to be a normal teenager but she can't stop the visions.  All she wants to do is enjoy her new found popularity-she happens to be dating one of the cool kids. She tries to ignore the visions but when they start showing missing children she knows she has to intervene.  Against her mother's wishes Karen joins Officer Wilson on a quest to rescue the children.

Whether you believe in psychic's or not Duncan weaves a wonderful story.  Does Karen find the children?  Does she tap into her third eye or is it all a bust?  Why is her mom so against it?  What happens to her relationships? Of course I'm not going to tell you.  You'll have to read the book yourself.

Using your gifts...that's kids stuff.  

Spring Break

I hope everyone had, or is still having if you're lucky, a fabulous spring break.  I spent a portion of mine reading books-big surprise, right.

Vivian Vande Velde's Heir Apparent was the perfect spring break read.  Giannine uses her birthday money to play a total immersion virtual reality game called Heir Apparent.  In the game she has been named the next King, even though she is only a half royalty (an illegitimate child of the king, raised by peasants), but being named ruler is only half the battle.  She must survive the  next 3 days to get to her coronation and win the game.  

Sounds like a good way to spend her birthday money.  She gets a half hour of game time, if she dies within the half hour she gets to try again and when the half hour is up she gets to finish the life she is on. I thought what a great idea, maybe I would actually get into video games if you could be totally immersed.

Everything is proceeding as usual until the developer of the game appears and says there has been a terrible problem with the equipment.   They can't unplug her because that could cause permanent brain damage so she has to win the game in order to get out.  The problem is that there is only a limited amount of time the equipment will last and if she doesn't win the game before then the results will be catastrophic.

The virtual world Velde has created is full of amazing characters and Giannine is the type of character I really love.  A strong, independent, feisty female.  This book is really a fantasy disguised as sci-fi.  


Winning the crown...that's kids stuff.   

Throwback Thursday!

This weeks throwback goes to a book I got in my Easter basket years ago.  I think my parents choose it for me because the main character and I share the same name.  Well, that and it's a fabulous story.  The book is Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah Plain and Tall.  

Longtime readers of this blog may remember I wrote about it here, because apart from being a charming story, it is also a Newbery winner.  We were first assigned the book in 5th grade then I was given my own copy that year for Easter.  (Side note-books are one of the best Easter basket stuffers if you do that sorta thing).  

Sarah Plain and Tall tells the story of Sarah who answers Jacob's advertisement for a wife.  Once our modern sensibilities get over the fact that she was a mail order bride you can relax and enjoy the story.  It's the best kind of romance in that it is subtle and slow.  Sarah and Jacob don't just fall in love with each other, Sarah falls in love with the children Caleb and Anna.  Together they become a new family and you can see  more of their journey in the rest of the series!!

Remembering a romance...that's kids stuff.