The first few weeks of the new school year have passed and it's always a freeing feeling when things finally fall into a routine.  I'm even able to steal a few minutes to read again, something I haven't been able to do since summer vacation.

Two books I'd like to share are: 

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

It is WONDERFUL.  Zoe is an 11 year old with a dream of performing classical music on a grand piano, wearing a sparkling gown and diamond tiara. When her dad finally takes her shopping for a piano, he instead ends up buying her an organ. Disappointed, she takes lessons anyway.  Her life is far from perfect as we learn about her issues with friends, her father's disability with anxiety, and her mother's work driven attitude.  Does Zoe's dream ever come true? You'll close this book with a smile and full heart!

   Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

I finished The Book Whisperer in July and immediately ordered Donalyn Miller's new book, Reading in the Wild.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book just as much as I love The Book Whisperer.  This book gives strategies and advice about how to turn kids into wild readers- wild readers who have lifelong reading habits.  

I appreciate how Donalynn uses her personal experiences to demonstrate what lifelong reading habits are.  My favorite take away was the status of the class.  As I implement this into my reading block, I am amazed at the power it brings.  It holds the kids accountable to read, really read, during their independent reading time.  It introduces new books to students who frantically add them to their books to read list.  It gives me a glimpse into what genres are being read and when.  I'm anxious to get their blogs going.  I know they'll have a lot ot say!

Summer Reading Round 6

This fairy tale trilogy was a page turner.  The False Prince  is the first book in the trilogy.  The King, Queen, and Prince of Carthya have been poisoned and there is no one to rule.  Prince Jaron is supposedly lost at sea and many have a plan to use a young boy to impersonate the young prince in hopes to take over the kingdom.  Young Sage spends his days stealing and his nights in an orphanage. When Connor visits the orphanage and buys Sage, he and three other boys must compete for the honor of impersonating Prince Jaron.  Whoever isn't chosen will die.  Will Sage convince Connor that he is fit to be Prince Jaron?  Continue the story with the Runaway King and the Shadow Throne.  Super fun reads!  I highly recommend them!

Summer Read Round 5

Yay!  I loved all of these books! All three of these books are MUST reads!  

The Fault in Our Stars:  This book is beautiful.  Hazel is a sixteen year old cancer survivor- thanks to experimental drugs.  She is intelligent, witty, negative, and antisocial - until she meets Augustus at a Cancer Kid Support Group.  Without giving too much away, these two form a friendship that will melt your heart. Augustus goes out of his way to bring Hazel across the country to meet the author of her favorite book- and it is here that the plot twists. Definitely a young adult novel (language etc) but young mature readers will read past it.  LOVED this book!!!

Wonder:  Auggie has a facial deformity that has prevented him from going to school.  After several lifetime surgeries, he is now well enough to try public school.  Learn about 5th grader Auggie's experiences in public school.  Things aren't easy, until something wonderful happens.  A MUST READ for all classrooms.  

Counting by 7's  I also loved this book.  Willow isn't your average girl.  Although the book never states it, I believe she is autistic.  Extremely intelligent with a interest in gardening, but socially challenged, she must leave her exotic garden in the backyard of her home when her adopted parents are killed in a car crash.  Her friends, their mother, and Willow's school counselor concoct a plan to keep her out of the system.  Another MUST READ :0)  

Summer Reading Round 4

These books were fast, emotional, action packed reads about the struggles of two jewish boys during WW2.  Both are true stories, and after reading them, I cannot forget what this generation of people had to endure, or how they persevered through horribly evil conditions.

Prisoner B- 3087-This a true story based on the life of young Jack (Yanek) Gruener.  Jack lived in Poland during WWII (1930s).  As a boy he was taken by the Nazi's and experienced 10 concentration camps, one of which he is tattooed as prisoner B-3087.  I was absolutely horrified at the brutal actions and circumstances he was forced to endure.  Read to learn how he had the will to survive.  A MUST READ!

The Boy on the Wooden Box- This book is a memoir written by Leon Leyson, the youngest worker on Schindler's list.  As a child, he was forced into concentration camps- often separated from his family. Like Yanek (Jacob/Jack) in Prisoner B 3087, Leon must learn to survive.  You will read about the same concentration camps that both characters experienced (even some of the same characters).  My heart dropped for Leon.  Learn how his family's skills were paramount, how Oskar Schindler (a Nazi) saved them, how they kept hope alive.  Also a MUST READ!

Summer Reading Round 3

I also loves this book!  I wish I had read this before the school year had ended- I know just whose hands I would have put this into.   Jacob S, if you're checking this blog over the summer, you MUST read this book!  

This book has so much heart!  

The story takes places in the 1960's in Memphis, Tn and is told in first person by a boy who struggles with stuttering. He takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, and is forced to communicate with the customers.  He encompasses many challenges, the worst being with a junk man who turns out to be a thief.  Learn how he and his nanny, mam, survive a dangerous confrontation.  

Summer Reading Round 2 1/2

After reading Endangered and Threatened, I remembered a book that I have ordered with book order bonus points and hadn't actually gotten arou

D to reading yet.  A majority of the kids had read it and highly recommended it and so I dug into it next.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this delightful realistic fiction story based on the true story of a mall gorilla, Ivan.  The story is told In first person perspective through the eyes of Ivan.  Ivan is a gorilla that was captured as a baby and raised as a pet by humans.  When he was too large to care for, a cage at a mall became his new home, along with a few other animals.  

Ivan is an artist and uses his skills to fulfill a promise he made to his friend.  Learn how Ivan rescues a Stella, a baby elephant from her captive life in the decrepit mall.

Summer Reading Round 2

I love, love, LOVED these books by Eliot Schrefer! 

Endangered takes you into the heart of The Congo, where Congolese-American Sophie, whose mother runs a bonobos sanctuary, takes you on an adventure through the jungle admidst wartime to find her Mother and save a young bonobo.  I simply could not put it down! 

Threatened takes us back into the jungle where orphaned Luc has been rescued from an abusive orphanage by Prof who hires him to help study chimpanzees.  Things don't go as planned and Luc must learn to live among the chimpanzees in order to survive.  Again... I could not put it down!

See the tweet below as I'm anxiously awaiting...

for Eliot Schefer's next book released next fall!

Summer Reading Round 1

Digital Media Camp is over for the summer and that means time to read, read, read!
PS- I'm posting this from my phone just in case you see any strange auto-corrects.

Here's what I accomplished this week:

My teacher read choice : The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller is by far THE closest book I've read that matches my philosophy about teaching reading.  I'm all charged for a new school year and am ready to take back the aesthetic side of reading in my classroom.   

One for the Murphy's by Linda Mullaly Hunt a global read aloud choice for 2014-15.  I give 5 stars! It's a story about a girl's journey through a year in foster care. I laughed, cheered, and finished the book on my porch swing without any tissues- I should have had tissues.  

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff was also a 5 star read.  This fractured fairy tale is the true story of Rumplestilskin and has us questioning the meaning of our names.  I simply loved this book- it will definitely be a read aloud next school year!

A Tale Grim & Dark by Adam Gidwitz is another fairy tale spin-off of Hansel and Gretel.  I also loved this book.  The narrator speaks to the reader, teasing them to beware of the gore they about to read.  Gidwitz is playful with the gory scenes :-) not sure about this as a read aloud BUT I will definitely be recommending it.

SMILE by Raina Telgemeier

This book made me smile! An awkward 6th grader accidently knocks her front teeth and must learn to survive with a not so perfect smile- not an easy journey for a middle school kiddo.  She learns to listen to inner self and conquers some pretty common middle school issues.  It was a fast read and written in a graphic novel/comic book format.  Another 5 stars from me! 

Here's what I'm hoping to tackle next week:

Stay tuned...