A Look Back at 2014

2014 has come and gone. When I started this blog last March, my goal was to find and share really great books, AND share how things are going in my classroom. So much has happened in the past year!

Let's take a walk through some of my favorite posts of 2014 . . . 

Why Books?

Ah--the very first post, a very good place to start. I go back occasionally and read this post to remind myself what my intentions are and why I write about books.


What Every Child (and Adult) Should Learn About Being Brave
I loved writing this post, and LOVED reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to prep for it. Fictional stories really do help us navigate through our own world and our own personal dragons. When I read this book to my class, I wanted them to get a sense of their own power to overcome trials, like the characters in the book do over and over again. Children need that. And so do I.

Getting Into Poetry
When April arrived, I was ready for National Poetry Month! We wrote 7 different forms of poetry as a class. Each student made their own poetry booklet. It was amazing to see them take ownership of their writing!

 


Teachers. We Need to Slow Down.
This post hits home for me, especially as I get ready to dive into end-of-year testing.  I need the constant reminder to slow down and find BALANCE.

Review #43: Mysterious Traveler
One of the best books that I read in 2014 is written by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham. Mysterious Traveler is a beautiful story, and one that I would recommend to everyone.

Staying Healthy Through the Winter Months: 6 Tips for Teachers
Stay clean, stay strong, stay healthy!

Here's to a fabulous new year! I hope 2015 finds you learning and growing!

Picture Book Picks for Halloween

The Stranger & The Widow's Broom
This is a throwback to the 1990’s—I remember pouring over all of Chris Van Allsburg’s books, reading them one more time just to make sure I had the story right, totally wrapped up in the mystery of it all. There is something nicely strange about ambiguous endings, which Chris Van Allsburg has in abundance. Most stories end up happily ever after, or even miserably ever after, but the author at least TELLS you outright how things end up. When I first read these two stories, it was altogether new to encounter a story whose ending was up to my own interpretation & insight. I used to ask my dad to just tell me what it meant and he was wise enough to resist.

The Stranger, first published in 1986, is as full of compassion and warmth as it is with mystery. Farmer Bailey and his family take in a man who has lost his memory. As the season should be shifting from summer to autumn, the stranger stays with them, and the leaves aren’t changing. The clues are there on every page—what name would you give to the stranger?

Another Van Allsburg classic, The Widow’s Broom, published in 1992, has plenty of Halloween elements: witches, pumpkins, ghosts at night, and tough kids trolling the neighborhood. The black-and-white illustrations are rich with detail, and even the plain broom stick shows emotion. This story, like The Stranger, has undertones of compassion (the widow and the abandoned broom form an unlikely friendship) as well as a clever twist to save the day.

In this spooky season, curl up with some stories that will leave you with a healthy dose of mystery!

More Picture Books for Halloween: they’re a scream :)

• The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone (my first and favorite)
• How to Mash Monsters by Catherine Leblanc (also useful when dealing with coworkers/relatives . . . )
• I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll
• Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
• A Monster Followed Me Home by Mercer Mayer
• PLUS a bonus Chapter Book: The Witches by Roald Dahl

Happy Reading!

Review #50: Counting by 7s

#50 Counting by 7s  
by Holly Goldberg Sloan

378 pages

4 Cheers

I could not put this book down. 

This book is an open window into loss and learning differences. It is a powerful glimpse into the heart & mind of a child who processes the world differently.

I was swept into Willow Chance’s mind, her observations, her heartache, her slow reconstruction. The characters in this book are crafted with power and depth—they stay with you. I loved that you never know if the next chapter will be the narrator giving insight into what is going on, OR Willow herself taking the narrative.

I will be reading this book again and again. 

Share your thoughts below :)

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #49: The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

#49 The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond

Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

3 Cheers!

This book has the quirky manner of A Series of Unfortunate Events, full of sharp turns and a wonderful storytelling feel. I highly recommend it!

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

Review #48: Better Nate Than Ever

#48 Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

275 pages

 3 Cheers

I listened to the audio book on this one, read by the author—it was fantastic! Like watching a particularly funny episode of Modern Family. :) His voice infuses the story with life and humor.

 Better Nate Than Ever takes in the highs and lows of big Broadway dreams, with a hugely relatable hero and a deliciously ambiguous ending.

It was great as light, summer reading material for me.

Proceed with caution with younger readers: profanity used throughout, and discussions of sexuality. More appropriate for middle & high school readers.

Enjoy!

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #47: Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel

#47 Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel by Diana Lopez

324 pages

 

 3 Cheers

When Erica’s mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, the whole family travels to the shrine of the Virgin de San Juan to make promesas. 

But fulfilling her promesa may be harder than Erica thought . . .

This young adult novel deals with grief, fear of the unknown, and the relationships that really matter.

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #46: Africa is My Home

#46 Africa Is My Home by Monica Edinger

59 pages

3 Cheers

Illustrations and words reveal the ins-and-outs of this true story of a girl’s journey on the slave ship The Amistad. You can feel the depth of research that author Monica Edinger poured into her writing. I loved the insight it gave into the life of one otherwise unknown girl. Not only is this book based on true events, it feels true as you read it. 

Enjoy!

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #45--The Truth of Me

 This one is amazing!

This is the reason I love reading my way through the NYPL's List of 100 Titles to Read and Share.

#45 The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan

4 Cheers!

I love discovering beautiful books. This is one of them.

Patricia MacLachlan has been writing books for decades, and her newest stories are as fresh as ever, brimming with depth and warm humor. Each chapter rolls out with clipped, meaning-filled sentences, brief and child-like. The Truth of Me was delightful and swept me away, which is what I am always searching for in a story! 

It is also at a comfortable reading level for 3^rd graders to enjoy on their own. The story follows Robbie and his dog as they spend the summer with Grandma Maddy, who has some secrets to share.

I am putting this book on my READ ALOUD shelf :)

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #44--S.W.I.T.C.H Spider Stampede

  Summer reading is the best! 

Here is one more book from the Stories for Younger Readers section of the NYPL's List of 100 Titles to Read and Share.

These books are great for 6 – 8 year olds!

#44 S.W.I.T.C.H.: Spider Stampede by Ali Sparkes

3 Cheers

One thing I love to do is read the FIRST book in a series to my class, get them hooked, and when the book is over they make a mad dash to get their hands on the next book. Sometimes the kids don’t even wait until I’m done reading—they want their own copy in order to read ahead! Magic.

I am very glad that Spider Stampede is part of a series (one that will appeal to boys) of 6 books so far, all with buggy names, such as:

Fly Frenzy

Grasshopper Glitch

Ant Attack

and more

The first book introduces twins Danny and Josh. Their biggest difference—how they feel about bugs! One hates bugs, one loves them, but they will both need to rely on each other as they are swept up in a strange adventure!

Find more books here:

7 New Poetry Books

10 Picture Books to Share

8 More Picture Books to Share

8 New Folktales and Fairytales

 Fortunately the Milk

 And some fun learning ideas:

Getting Into Poetry

Make Your Own Battle Bunny

Review #43: Mysterious Traveler

#43 Mysterious Traveler by Mal Peet & Elspeth Graham

 4 cheers!

The Sahara. A blind guide. A baby found in the desert.

Sitting on my couch at home, curled up in my favorite grey blanket, I devoured this thin book in about 20 minutes. The words in the story are like music; the descriptions are full & rich. Nearly every page has gorgeous mixed media illustrations that take you right into the desert.  The story wraps you up in admiration for nature’s beauty and praise for God’s hand, all without overtness, all done with ease and delight. 

It was a delicious and satisfying book. I will be adding it to my list of read-alouds for next school year, particularly when we start discussing elements of strong writing. These authors give a beautiful example of using strong descriptions. Great as a mentor text! I also love how there are many places where the reader has to infer what happened using the few details that the author gives. So many learning opportunities in this book—a huge bonus, because the story itself is a journey. I will be very careful not to make this book into too much of a lesson and take away the magic. Can’t wait to share it with my students! 

Reviews #41 and 42

 

Two reviews for you today! 

These books are great for 6 – 8 year olds as read alouds or for independent reading.

  Stories for Younger Readers 

 NYPL's List of 100 Titles to Read and Share 

#41 The Gumazing Gum Girl!: Chews Your Destiny by Rhode Montijo

3 Cheers!

And an extra giggle, because this book is delightful!

 

Gum Girl is fun, fun, fun. I laughed out loud at the crazy pictures and faces, which reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes. My 3^rd graders could read this book on their own . . . but I might want to read to to them first so that I can enjoy it again!

 

#42 The Meanest Birthday Girl by Josh Schneider

3 cheers!

A sweet, simple read that young readers can manage on their own. Lots of great pictures too!  It takes an enormous white elephant to help Dana’s mean streak come full circle.

Coming next . . . Mysterious Traveler . . . 

a beautiful short novel you won't want to miss!