What is it about this book?  It’s like watching a train wreck…no matter how much you may want to, you just can’t look away.  A genie in a lamp, a baby with three fathers and a hint of AIDS keeps this story moving a frantic pace.  I think students, especially more reluctant readers, will be charmed by the writing as well.  Should you snare a reader with Lia Block’s story, then you may want to check out The Center for Children’s Books has a link to some read alikes.  http://ccb.lis.uiuc.edu/Projects/yalit/weetzie/front.html
My only question…where or where did she come up with all those names?  Enjoy!

I can’t give any excuse for my recent silence…other than the usual frenzy that comes with the holiday season.  C’est la vie!

Since my last post I’ve read a number of books (with varying levels of enjoyment), but my favorite was Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.  I was quickly swept up in the possibilities of an afterlife in which you age in reverse.  This book reminded me of Lovely Bones by Alice Sebolt (mostly because the narrators have both passed on to another place).  Why is this notion so fascinating to me?  I think in part because it forces me to examine my ideas of the afterlife.  I would recommend both books without hesitation.  They left me longing for more–just like a good book should.

Happy Reading!

Kids (and let’s face it…adults) have been dazzled by graphic novels since they burst on the scene us decades ago. Kids love them. I can’t keep the ones I’ve got on the shelf, and yet there’s still a reluctance to embrace them by teachers. But why? Readers have to think while reading and watching the story–it’s not brainless (as some would maintain). Here are a few I’ve just added to our collection that I just can’t seem to keep out of that hands of students:

American Born Chinese byGene Yang

The Bone series by Jeff Smith

Deogratias: a Tale of Rwanda by Jean-Philippe Stassen

Pride of Baghdad by Brian Vaughn

The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar

Beowulf by Gareth Hinds

Just a few for the growing pile by the nightstand (if you’re like me). As always, if you’ve got a great recommendation I’d love to hear it!

I don’t really have to wonder too much why I became an avid reader. I grew up in a home filled with books and watched my parents repeatedly choose to curl up with a book rather than sit in front of the television. I recently finished a class on the history of children’s literature and it made me think of my own reading history. Here are a list of the books that live on in my memory:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss was a favorite. My parents tell me I loved Seuss and often memorized the stories cover to cover.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyward and Marjorie Hack
I don’t know specifically what it was about this story that captured my imagination, but it’s the one picture book that I remember reading over and over.

Little Joe Otter by Thornton Burgess
I loved all of the books by Thornton Burgess, but this was my favorite. Burgess wrote in the early 20th century and was extremely popular. His series of over 100 books are about different forest animals and begins with Old Mother Westwind.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Tideaback, read this to me and I was forever hooked on fantasy. How could you not love these little mice?

Anything Judy Blume. My first introduction to her was Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. I read everything she wrote as fast as I could.

Figgs & Phantoms by Ellen Raskin was a book I think of as a foreshadow of my future career. I liked this book and for some reason thought I should try searching by publisher. Really. I remember scanning the bookshelves at our tiny local bookstore for the large C that identified a Camelot book. How funny is that? I don’t know where I got that idea, but who other than a future librarian would think that up?

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. This is one of the first books I remember being sad to finish and longing to find something like it. I loved the fact that the survival story was about a girl. Why didn’t I just ask my librarian?

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkein. My Mom read these to my brother and me when we were in elementary/middle school and they are some of my fondest literary memories. We started with the illustrated version of The Hobbit because my brother was only in the 2nd grade and still learning to sit still for a long story. The pictures helped hold his attention before he became fully captivated by the story (a love affair he has still today).

It’s fun to think of the books that left their mark. I’m sure there are others if I sit and dwell on them, but really–how much of an impression is really left if it takes me an hour to remember?

Enjoy!

Thank you to the students, parents and teachers who attended this month’s Brown Bag & Books.  Ms. Brokaw, Ms. Su and I all had a great time talking to you about books.  In case you couldn’t attend, here’s a list of the books we discussed (in no particular order):

Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials  by Marc Aronson

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

Scary Stories for Sleepovers

Vampire High by Douglas Rees

The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

Beast by Ally Kennen

The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier

The Skeleton Man by Jay Bennett

The Amazing Colossal Book of Horror Trivia by J.M. Lampley

Haunted by Meg Cabot

Ghost Stories of Illinois by Jo-Anne Christensen

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

Hawkson by Amelia Atwater

Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

Invisible by Pete Hautman

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

If this is a genre that you find particularly interesting, I recommend visiting Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website on Gothic Fantasy, Horror, and Suspense for Teens and ‘Tweens.

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/favorites/by_genre/horrorteens.html

Enjoy!

In the last few months I’ve read some great work–many are historical fiction.  Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata (about Japanese Internment during World War II) and The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble (Salem Witch Trials) are two I’ve recently completed.  I’ve never been one to get too excited about historical fiction (probably too many dry examples from my childhood–this genre has come a long way baby), but lately I’ve found myself facinated by the wide variety of topics being covered by today’s authors.  Other topics I’ve visited recently include:

A Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages is about the Manhattan Project, specifically children of the scientists working on creating the bomb.

Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Patterson is about the 1912 labor strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

The Loud Silence of Francine Green  by Caroline Cushman is set in 1949 and focuses on the fear of Communism.

The opportunities to learn about various times in world history are growing, which I think is wonderful.

Every year the National Council for the Social Studies publishes a list of recommended books.  This list is worth viewing for ideas to enhance and support what students are learning in the classroom.

http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/notable/

Enjoy!

Okay, I have to be honest–I am fascinated by the genius of Leonardo da Vinci.  Knowing this, you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across (a while back) How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb.  The book is readable, includes ideas for drill and practice, and is perfect for use individually or in the classroom.  The book is divided into three sections:

Part one: Overview of the life of Leonardo da Vinci

Part two:  Seven Da Vincian Principals and activities to develop these skills.

Part three:  Beginner’s drawing course.

Even though it today’s information filled world we cannot “know everything” as da Vinci once suggested, it is still possible to improve how we think about and see the world we live in.

Enjoy!

Okay, when I read The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, as much as I enjoyed the story, I couldn’t help but feel like it was my parent’s idea of what my childhood should have been. Very sweet and nice. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it certainly doesn’t reflect what I see when I glance back in the rear view mirror of my life. Much of my childhood was full of laughter and silliness. And I’m very thankful for that. But some of it (like middle school) was only nice–in hindsight. While I was in the moment it felt like one long, painful ride. And then I read Shug by Jenny Han. I was captured right from the moment Shug (short for Sugar) realizes she’s in love with her best friend—the boy next door. We spend the rest of the novel traveling with Shug as she tries to navigate the familiar land mines of middle school and struggles to identify friend and foe. Now that I remember. There was very little romantic about the realistic situations Shug finds herself in–except that we’ve probably all experienced something similar and can look back (somewhat) fondly. If you’re looking for a little sugar that’s not too sweet–than this timeless tale is for you. Happy reading!

My latest read, on audio actually, was A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. This is historical fiction at its finest. Mattie is a girl trapped by promises. A promise to her mother and to a stranger. How can she unravel herself from the life that is expected of her by her father and society? And what will she do with the bundle of letters she promised to destroy now that their owner was found dead? The vivid description, rich vocabulary, and authentic dialog build a series of characters that linger in the readers heart and mind long after the story ends.
Use in the classroom for: vocabulary, women’s history, foreshadow/flashback