Whatcha Reading?

To me one of my favorite things to think about at the start of each new school year is, "what books do we get to read this year?"  And by we I mean, me and my students.  In the reading class I am teaching this year we will read one novel per marking period (in addition to numerous poems, short stories, plays, newspaper articles, media clips, etc).  First up is S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. 

If I'm being totally honest, this isn't one of my favorite books.  There's nothing I don't like about it, but it would never make my top 5.  Here's the cool thing though.  About 90% or more of the students love it, like love it so much that when I taught them the next year they still said The Outsiders was their favorite book.  What a great way to start the year, especially for students who come into reading class already believing that they are bad readers and they don't like reading.  They just haven't found the right book yet.

The Outsiders proves to students that books can be real.  They can come from an authentic youthful perspective.  They can tell it like it is, they don't gloss over the grittier aspects of life.  The Outsiders is the story of Ponyboy (yes that is his actual name, like on his birth certificate and everything).  And that's all you're getting.  Partly because any way I try to think of to describe it sounds cheesy and this book is anything but cheesy.  But also because I encourage all of my students to check out this blog and I don't want them to know anything about the book before we start reading.

Understanding others...that's kids stuff 

PS Since Monday is the first day of school don't be surprised if there aren't as many posts as normal.  But don't worry, it's just until I settle into the routine of a new school year.

How Cool!

Maximum Ride- or Max as she prefers to go by, is so cool.   She is the leader of a group of exceptional young people-and by young I mean she is the oldest at only 14-and she can fly.

No, seriously, she can fly.  You see Max, and her friends (and by friends I mean they're basically family) are 98% human and 2% bird.  When you put it that way, it sounds, I admit, a bit lame; but in actuality it is really, really cool.

James Patterson's Maximum Ride The Angel Experiment chronicles the journey of Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel.  They started as science experiments and were subjected to many horrific tests while being forced to live in a cage.  But they got out and that is where the adventure really begins.

Like at the beginning of any school year, one of my tasks is to decide how I'm going to use the bulletin boards that are in my classroom.  One will be a book recommendation board.  It will be started by me and, hopefully, continued by the students.  Maximum Ride will most definitely be making the board. I think all of my students would love this book.

Small disclaimer this is the first book in a series so as you can probably guess that means the ending is not quite as satisfying as one would desire.  Looks like we're all gonna have to read the rest of the series.

Being the coolest...that's kids stuff.  

Deep Breaths

This is a coping strategy I tell my students to use all the time.  If you're overexcited, angry, frustrated,whatever, deep breaths often work.  Ben, the main character in M.H. Herlong's The Great Wide Sea, really really needed to take some deep breaths.

Ben is the oldest of three boys, he and his family live near a lake and are big fans of sailing. Things seem very happy except, a la Disney movie, you don't get to see very much of that happy.  When Ben's mom is killed suddenly in a car accident his dad decides to sell the house and sail around the Bahama's for a year.

But sailing around the world is not the jolly adventure you think it would be. Not only is sailing really hard work, but boats are small and three boys who have just lost their mother and a husband who has lost his wife have allllll the feels.  All of these feelings can create pretty high tension aboard the boat.

The Great Wide Sea left me feeling much like I did after watching the movie Unbroken.  My main feeling throughout the story was, "how much more can this person possible take?"

I thought this was an authentic, heart-wrenching, emotional story. All of that makes The Great Wide Sea worth reading but not necessarily an enjoyable read.  It is a powerful story but it's not the kind of story that gives you all the warm fuzzies.  

Making it through...that's kids stuff.  

What Makes a Hero?

This is a question I discuss with some of my students quite frequently.  I guess the success and popularity of all the DC and Marvel Superhero movies have made heroes quite the talking point.  To be a superhero do you need to have some sort of superpower?  Or, like Batman, do you need to suffer the tragic loss of your parents then continue on making the best use of your natural abilities as well as some pretty cool gadgets?  What do you think?

Zach Harriman, star of Mike Lupica's Hero, hits many of these criteria.  His dad is a special assistant to the president and runs all kinds of top secret, highly classified missions.  If anything, it seems like Zach's dad would be the hero.  But tragically Zach's dad dies (not a spoiler, it happens before page 20).  After Zach's dad dies his whole world gets turned upside down-in more than just the ways you'd expect.

Zach suddenly starts realizing he has extraordinary powers, powers he's never noticed before.  That's because, in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer like twist, there is only one hero at a time; meaning Zach's dad had to die before Zach would experience any of the powers.  As if figuring out powers wasn't enough Zach also has to figure out middle school, the strange behavior of his Uncle Johnny, and this mysterious stranger who keeps trying to train him.

Hero is an exciting read and I think many of my students will be able to relate to Zach.  As a lover of fantasy I thought the book was just starting to get good when it was over.  As of now there is no sequel but Hero is the foundation to what I think could be an excellent series.  Any superhero comic book lover would love this book.

Saving the World...that's kids stuff

Family

Eleven year old Zoe doesn't have a family.  At least not anymore.  Her mother has just died after a long battle with mental illness.  Her biological father has never been in the picture, instead Zoe has dealt with a parade of pseudo fathers-aka the men who are dating her mother.

The start of Clay Carmichael's Wild Things shows Zoe coming to live with her Uncle Henry.  Uncle Henry is by all accounts a cool dude.  He is a very good looking surgeon turned artist who lives on the outskirts of town.  Zoe doesn't trust anyone, but she finds herself wanting to trust Henry.

Uncle Henry is just the first of a series of unique and utterly wonderful characters.  My favorite part of this book was that it captured the way very different people can come together in deep, lifelong friendships.  Friends that are really more like family.

In a fun twist this book is told from two perspectives.  Zoe, who is clever, independent and very feisty and a stray cat who hangs around Uncle Henry's house.  The cat is older, more cautious but still curious about all the comings and goings of the house.

Things really get interesting when Zoe finds a cabin in the woods and starts to befriend a boy who is truly wild.  He seems completely at home in the forest and can move as swift and quiet as any animal.  Who is this boy?  More importantly, is this the place Zoe can finally call home?  You'll just have to read it and find out.  Trust me, it is very worth the read.

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

It's good

Some books aren't my taste but I can see how someone would like them.  Lisa Yee's Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time is one of those books.  It was a fairly entertaining story and Stanford, the main character, was instantly likable.  Stanford has just finished sixth grade (except for that whole flunking English part), is great at basketball, not so great at English (the subject not the language), and experiencing his first crush.

I think what put it outside of my taste was that I had so little to relate to.  I have never been a middle school boy (obviously).  I have never excelled at sports (if you've ever spent any time with me that would also be obvious).  I did excel at English and I don't remember any stand out crushes during my middle school years (that came later).

However, there aren't a ton of books that highlight a main character struggling with something academic.  Especially not something so mundane as English class.  And that makes this book a must have on my shelf.  This year I am only teaching learning support reading.  All of these students come to my class already believing they are bad at reading so why bother trying.  This book gives them something to relate to.

Summer school...that's kids stuff.  

Grateful

Good books take you somewhere else.  It doesn't matter if that somewhere else is familiar or in a totally new world, the point is that you are completely immersed in a new world.  The best books also teach you something about your world.

Deborah Ellis' The Breadwinner is the best kind of book.  You are transported to Afghanistan and instantly feel like you are in Parvana's world.  You ache for her when you learn her mother and father have lost their jobs and her father must now work in the marketplace reading and writing letters for strangers.  The Taliban have completely changed her day to day life, and not for the better.

Parvana's mother and older sister can't go outside without wearing a burka, so they choose to just stay inside.  Parvana is young enough to not need a burka but she is still looked down on as a female.  To help make ends meet Parvana disguises herself as a boy so that she too can work in the marketplace.

This book gave me new gratitude for my own life.  I never have to cover my face when I go out and I am allowed to have the job that I love.  But what's even better is that if someone chooses to cover their face because of their own individual convictions they are free to do that too.

The Breadwinner is set in modern times.  I would love for students to read this book as part of learning about other cultures.  Middle grades often have a unit on the middle east.  This would be a great part of that unit.  It really makes you realize what life would be like if the Taliban lived in your town. I am grateful that my students only know the Taliban from afar but it's important they realize what a privilege that is.

Being grateful...that's kids stuff.  

Elementary...

I must begin this post with a confession.  I have never read the Sherlock Holmes books. I have watched a lot of tv adaptations (thing Elementary-on CBS, and Sherlock on the BBC), and yes, I know that's not good enough.  You must know this about me because it most definitely influences my thoughts on Shane Peacock's Eye of the Crow. 

You see Eye of the Crow is about the boy Sherlock Holmes solving his first case.  Was it an excellent mystery, yes. Is it how I envisioned the young Sherlock Homes, no.  Admittedly I have only television adaptations to go off of, but this is not how I pictured a young Sherlock Holmes.  And therein lies the danger of picking such a beloved subject for a new series.

I must also note that this is the first in a series about the young Sherlock Holmes.  I have not read other books in this series but I would be interested to see if Sherlock develops more into the character I am familiar with as the series progresses.

I would love to see how fans of the original Sherlock Holmes book series respond to this book.  But I am more curious to see how someone, especially a young adult, who has no experience with Sherlock Holmes (the books or the movies/shows) would respond to this book.  For the latter group I think this would be an excellent place to start and hopefully propel them into reading more.  The suspense, the drama, the attention to detail are all there.  If you are a mystery fan, this would be a good book for you.

Solving the crime...that's kids stuff.  

PS if you fit into either of the two categories described above, please leave a comment describing what you thought about the book.

And the Deathly Hallows

All good things must come to an end.  And so it is with my annual summer re-read of the Harry Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows contains all of the elements of a perfect ending.  There's adventure, plot lines come together, lingering questions are answered, and most importantly you get a sense of what happens to all the characters.  The Deathly Hallows is not my favorite book in the series but it does have an incredibly satisfying ending.  I know what happens to all the characters, but their lives are not spelled out for me.  I still get to wonder about them.
Potter series.

And since J.K. is such a great author and friend to her fans she continues to release little tidbits of knowledge so you never have to feel like it's really over.

Ok we are now into spoiler territory, you know what to do.

I find it interesting that the symbol of the deathly hallows has become so popular.  I love the tension of hallows versus horcruxes.  I think that was masterfully done, but I don't love that the deathly hallows symbol has overtaken the whole series.  There is no denying its important but to me the graphic of the glasses and scar is a much better representation of the series as a whole.  What do you think? When you look at these images which one says, "Harry Potter." And you can't say both.

I think these books are so endearing for me because they are the best kind of children's or young adult books. They are not for one subset of the population, they are for everyone.  And who better to describe that best kind of book then J.K. Rowling herself. Here is an excerpt from a speech she made accepting the Hans Christian Anderson Award.

“Those who write for children, or at least those who write best for children, are not child-like or immature, but they do remember with sometimes painful intensity both what it was to be small and confused and how wonderful was that fierce joy in the moment that can become so elusive in later life. Any book that is written down to children or with one nervous sideways eye on the author’s fellow adults or in the belief that this is the kind of thing that ‘they like’ cannot work and will not last. Children are not 'they.' They are us. And this is why writing that succeeds with children often succeeds just as well with adults—not because the latter are infantile or regressive, but because the true dilemmas of childhood are the dilemmas of the whole of life: those of belonging and betrayal, the power of the group and the courage it takes to be an individual, of love and loss, and learning what it is to be a human being, let alone a good, brave, or honest one.”

Harry Potter...that's kids stuff.  

PS I love this particular quote because it is why I named my blog "that's kids stuff."  It's why I end every post with that tagline and it's what I mean when I say, "that's kids stuff."  

Ugh, Papers

I feel like this is the response whenever I assign any kind of writing to my students, "ugh, we have to write a paper...whhhhyyyy??"   Mitty Blake, the main character in Caroline B. Cooney's Code Orange, is no different. When told he has to write a term paper on an infectious disease he does what any self-respecting student would do-procrastinate.

Mitty finally chooses smallpox and once he realizes his sources have to include actual books (shudder) and not just Internet sites he raids his mothers book collection.  (It's not really hers, part of Mitty's mom's job is to decorate houses for wealthy clients and they want libraries that look nice so she always has a stash of books with nice bindings).  Side note-if you only have a library because you want your house to look nice and your only criteria for what books go into said library is that they have nice binding please pass your library on to me or someone who will actually use it for books they will actually read.

Luckily, one of these old books is on infectious diseases. It also contains an envelope with strange little scabs that Mitty immediately touches.  They dissolve because they are so old and Mitty inhales all of that dust.  Turns out these were scabs from a smallpox patient.  Can the virus survive that long outside a host?  Will Mitty single-handedly be responsible for the return of a disease once eradicated by vaccines?

Of course, I'm not going to tell you.  You just have to read the book yourself.  And I very much recommend that you do.  Code Orange was the perfect mix of excitement, suspense, and background info on infectious diseases.  Seriously, it is worth a read.


Writing a paper...that's kids stuff.  

And the Half-Blood Prince

Major spoiler alert ahead. I'm not kidding. If you haven't read the books, don't read anymore.  Click off this page and go read the books.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the first book where I openly wept over the death of a character.  Dumbledore dies in this book and it was gut wrenching for me.  This post is a tribute to Dumbledore, a wizard who more than deserved all the accolades given to him-most especially the chocolate frog card.

But nobody does a tribute like buzzfeed so I give you with their wonderful list proving that Dumbledore was the sassiest wizard of all time.



nitwit, oddment, blubber, tweak...that's kids stuff

It's Better When You're Older

This is my standard response when people ask how I could possibly teach middle school.  It's better when you're older, when you're not living it.  I don't think anybody looks back with fondness on their middle school years but I honestly love working with middle schoolers.

Make no mistake it's still a hard time.  Your feelings change all the time, your friends are also changing and all of the sudden there is all this pressure to be who you are when you don't even know who you are.  Everyone starts expecting you to act like an adult and if that wasn't enough you also start wanting a little romance but have no idea how to make that happen.

Wendelin Van Draanen's Flipped captures all of these feelings perfectly.  The story is told from the perspective of both Julianna and Bryce, two eighth graders who also happen to be neighbors and they couldn't be more different.  But Flipped is about so much more than the awkward relationship between young teens who can't decide if they like each other, hate each other, or like like each other-even though that aspect of the story was incredibly entertaining and I definitely felt my middle school self relating to Julianna.

Flipped also tackles hard issues surrounding families and abilities but it is never preachy.  Instead it's honest and real and Van Draanen lets the reader make all the judgements.  I loved Flipped and will definitely be recommending it to many students this year.  But even though I loved the story I do not envy Julianna and Bryce.  I would tell them exactly what I tell my students, "It's better when you're older."

Righting yourself when you've flipped...that's kids stuff

And the Order of the Phoenix

As I'm sure you all know from the title, this is another Harry Potter post.  As with all of my previous Potter Posts SPOILER ALERT. 

Now that we are left with only those who have read the book I would like to use this post to give a HUGE shout-out to J.K.Rowling.  One of the things I stress to my students is that when we read we don't just become better readers, we can use that as a tool to become better writers.  As a result we spend some of our time talking about the authors craft (for you non teacher types-or students who haven't been paying attention-this is the way an author writes, what they do to make a good story).

J.K.Rowling is the perfect example of someone who not just has a fabulous story, but is someone who has clearly spent a lot of time working on her craft.  The first sign that Rowling has perfected her craft is that when you originally read the book you don't even notice how it is written because you are so engrossed in the story.  It is only when you re-read the books that you pick up on many of the wonderful things she has done. 

Herbology class isn't just a way to show more about Hogwarts and what types of things wizards learn, but it's also a chance to introduce plants that come up later in the books. A visit to St. Mungo's isn't just a chance to see Mr. Weasley recovering from his injuries, it's a chance to see whatever happened to Lockhart, and it sets the stage for future surprises. The Pensive isn't just a glimpse at cool gadgets that wizards have it's a way to use flashback without actually flashing back.  

What is truly remarkable is that when you re-read the books you don't think, "ugh, she gave everything away here" or, "she only wrote this so she didn't have to explain it later." You think, 'oh how clever."  And what's even more clever is this isn't just within the book it's within the series.  Little details from book one help you understand something in book five.  And that is why the best books are worth re-reading.  We often re-watch our favorite movies, so why does it seem strange to re-read our favorite books?  

That's enough of my rambling.  I challenge all of you to re-read all of your favorite books and maybe think a little bit about the author's craft as you read.  

Being clever...that's kids stuff.  

It's a Mystery

I have to be honest, mystery is not my preferred genre.  I get stressed out whenever I read a mystery.  I'm not the kind of person who tries to guess the ending or figure it out as I read so I feel all the pressure and suspense of the moment.  That being said Joan Lowery Nixon's The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore was a nice change of pace for me.

Christina Lattimore is from a wealthy Houston family.  After a fight with her grandmother, the family matriarch and holder of the family fortune, Christina is kidnapped.  But the kidnapping seems a bit off.  Something is not quite right, and that feeling only continues throughout the book.  I would love to say more but I really can't without spoiling the ending.  Is Christina found?  Are the kidnappers brought to justice?  Is everything as it seems?

While mystery will never be my favorite genre, I have to admit I liked the excitement and suspense of this book.  I think it helped that the book wasn't overly long.  At just under 200 pages you could read it in one sitting, say on a rainy Saturday, so you can see how everything works out.  The reading team at my school has discussed doing a mystery as one of the anchor books for this coming school year.  I think this book may be a great anchor book.  It has enough appeal for all types of students and I think they would be more willing to engage in a book as a class when they want to figure out what happens.  

Solving the mystery...that's kids stuff.