It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014! 

I set a goal for myself on goodreads.com of reading 150 books in 2013. I'm glad to say I met my goal and exceeded it. I did record many picture books that I read aloud to my students and to my own kids at home. But hey, picture books are books!

For 2014 I am going to set a goal of 200 books.  I invite you to join me in a 2014 Goodreads Challenge. It's a very measurable New Year's Resolution.

Both of these books are on our Newbery Bookclub list. Our  club is winding down. (Our last meeting will be on January 27th to watch the Newbery announcement.) They are broadcasting it online here.

 

This book gave us a bit of a surprise. We were expecting a funny book and while this book has many funny parts, it is much more of an adventure book. 

Having heard the surprise from several of our book club members I did not have high expectations. I guess I thought that since it wasn't what we expected that the book wasn't any good. I have been pleasantly surprised! This is one that I am always delighted to return to and look for times to pick up. 

~~~~~

Hattie Ever After is a book from the Newbery hopefuls list that our book club has been reading through. All in all, I enjoyed this book. It has been one that the group has neglected as a whole. Mostly I think it's the cover. The boys won't touch it because it's about a girl and the girls aren't all that interested in it because it's historical. After reading it I know that the girls will love it and it even has Chrisitan influences. Hattie prays multiple times. 

 

Here's my in depth review.


AR level: 4.6

Grade appropriate: 3rd grade and up



RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 4/5

I really enjoyed the book and it was a quick read. But I was just so distracted by Hattie’s naivety. As a child I would have eaten this book up. And I know there are elementary/middle grade girls out there like me who are innocent and naïve and will love Hattie for it. Even included prayer and spirituality.

Creativity: 5/5

Unlike any others on our Newbery possibles list.

Characters: 3/5

Hattie was likeable and our elementary girls will love her, but I can’t get over her lack of awareness. There is no way a 19/20 year-old could be friends with the guys in this book and not understand their interest in her. I would expect her mindset from a preteen girl, but a grown woman would understand and be more aware of the interest of boys and be more aware of her appearance. It was just not believable.

Engrossing: 5/5

I read it in 2 days…

Writing: 5/5

I enjoyed the writing very much with a few exceptions of wordiness/floweriness. Again the young girls will eat it up.

Appeal to kids: 4/5

I think our girls will love it. I don’t think any boy is going to make it past the cover, much less the first few chapters.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5



CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: none, 2 fairly innocent kisses with her future husband.

Violence: none

Drugs/Alcohol: none

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

Merry Christmas everybody! Yes it is the holidays, but at my house that doesn't mean much down time... With a little one and a not-so-little one there's lots of claims on Mom's time. 

But my 10-year-old and I have started a habit of sitting together in our game room and reading for 30 minutes every night. The  hubby watches the 2-year-old and we just have some quality time to read together. It has really helped me knock some books off my reading list and it gives me a chance to talk with my big boy about what he's reading. 

And I actually read some NEWBERY winners this week. (Thank goodness I didn't set a time limit on myself. I'd be really stressing out at this point!) As you will see there is no rhyme or reason to the order in which I am reading them... I have no excuse. I read 'em as the mood strikes.

 

 This book is one of our Quest for the Crown books for this year. I am reading ALL of them and writing questions for our big competition. (I will post more about Quest at a later date.)

This book is a great one. I like the characters and fell in love with Zasha. Suspenseful and interesting, it's a winner. 

 ~~~~~

Newbery winner, 1967

"Slowly" is right. I had a hard time finishing this book. When I got into it I really did enjoy it, but the beginning moves so slowly that I had a hard time getting past it. 

One of my favorite books growing up was Anne of Green Gables and this reminded me of it very much. I would have liked this book as a middle grades/high schooler better than as a grown up. I tend toward more action and excitement these days...
~~~~~

Newbery winner, 1979

This book, however, WAS one of my favorites in middle school and is still just as great today. I love the mystery and the puzzle. Clue was one of my favorite board games and I played it ad nauseum as a kid. (My poor parents.)  This reminds me so strongly of that game. I loved it this time through as much as the first time. (A little nostalgia never hurts either!)

Christmas Kindness

This year I felt like we needed to do something special for Christmas. Being at a Christian school I felt like we needed to make a big deal about Christmas. I didn't think that reading a Christmas book was enough. So we are doing

I got the idea from The First Grade Parade.

I read The Sparkle Box to K-3rd grade and The Christmas Candle to 4th & 5th. And then I encouraged them to look around for kind things to do that they didn't need parent help to accomplish. (But if their parents wanted to help they could.) We also talked about not shouting about the kind things they were doing. Don't tell the class, "I cleaned up this mess and it wasn't even mine!" We discussed the verse in Matthew “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." 

I did ask that they tell me when they do a random act of kindness. There is a calendar where we are writing down the good deeds (without names) and we will read them in January and be encouraged by the kindness of our anonymous friends.  Here is a glimpse. 

 It has been so precious to hear them tell me the small kindnesses they have done for strangers and for one another. It has ranged from a girl who cleaned up a mess that her dog made without being asked to a girl coming in to tell me that her classmate had shared with her. I loved that they even bragged on each other.  

In doing research for this lesson I came across so many inspiring blog posts about families focusing on the giving part of Christmas that I took this idea home and my kids and I also did some random acts of kindness for those around us. 

In the spirit of practicing what I preach I won't post about it. But it is so motivating to see what others are doing. If you need a little pick-me-up check out these celebrations. 

Life As of Late

Coffee Cups and Crayons

A Bowl Full of Simple

Teaching Maddeness

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

Absolutely wonderful! Leyson communicates the horrors of the Holocaust without going into such detail that middle grade readers couldn't handle it. This is such an important time in history to remember. I recommend it to my middle grade students. 

 

 I'm a big Lemony Snicket fan and I wanted to be totally sucked in by this one. I think the problem is that I had just finished The Boy on the Wooden Box and was not in the right frame of mind to appropriately enjoy this book. :(

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

 
This was a fun adventure/fantasy book that I had been warned (by a 4th grade boy) was pretty scary. I have to say not all that scary by my standards, but totally entertaining. I really liked it. I think it'll stay on our Scary Genre shelf.
 



This was my favorite Wendy Mass book, but really that's not saying a lot. I'm not a huge fan. (Then again, I'm not her target audience.) Our 4th and 5th grade girls LOVE her stuff and I will keep them in stock in the library. This one was much different than her normal girl-drama type realistic fiction. It was a science fiction twist, but still the same basic feel. Middle grade girl/boy drama that just happens to destroy Earth in the process.










 
I'm a sucker for a good adventure book. And Ally Carter never disappoints! She's consistently entertaining. I love to recommend these books to my fourth & fifth graders. (And adults too!)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

November #Holdshelf

Mr. Schu and Mr. Jonker have made a monthly event called On Hold @ the Library. Check it out! 

Here's what's on hold at the FWC elementary library: 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

 

A Sweet wordless picture book. I have read it aloud to classes from Kindergarten to 3rd grade and it's been a hit all over!!

One of my favorite books I've read this year. Everyone I've talked to about it loved it! There are lots of twists and turns and one made my body turn cold!!! 

The cover is not a great representation of the story. The kids in the Newbery Book Club were not pumped about reading it because of the cartoon quality of the cover illustration. It needs a darker, more mysterious cover in my opinion. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

 

My son and I listened to the audiobook version of this book. It wasn't quite as good as I expected it to be, but I'm blaming a lot of that on the fact that we took long breaks from listening to it and when we got back to it we had to recap what had happened so far. It lost some of it's flow. I'm sure that's the reason I felt a little lost at points. I'd love to read the sequel in a more  consistent way and see how it is. 

~~~~~~~

I discovered this week that there are only 4 Caldecott winners that are a "5th grade level." (This is a required book for my 5th grade students.) I also discovered that FWC Elementary Library only has 2 of them.

NOT ANYMORE! 

Two of my must reads this week. 

Texas Book Festival

I had the most amazing weekend! I spent Saturday and Sunday at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas.

There are tents set up all around the capital building and there are book vendors, authors, food trucks, and so much more.

I, of course, spent my time in the children's area. For me, it was like being in Hollywood and meeting all my favorite actors. I met so many amazing authors. I got to talk with them and share with them what I do. They were amazing! So down to earth and encouraging. Here's a glimpse of my weekend.

 Adam Rex

 Mac Barnett and Jon Scieszka

 Katherine Applegate

Gordon Korman

Brian Floca

It was AMAZING!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

    

We want to see your #holdshelf

Mr. Schu and Mr. Jonker have made a monthly event called On Hold @ the Library. Check it out!

These are the books that our kids are clambering for:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

To learn more about It's Monday! What Are You Reading? visit Mentor Texts

I apologize for not posting AT ALL last week, but it was a CRAZY busy week around here. I'll post more about that soon. But for now:

 

 I liked this book a lot. I had a few reservations, but overall it was emotional and well-written. For a more detailed review visit my Goodreads review.

 

I really like the original Benedict Society book. The sequels have been a bit disappointing. This one however is the real-deal. I liked this book as much as The Mysterious Benedict Society. Clever and kind Nicolas Benedict is a great kid most kids would like to befriend. 

 

 

 

Not nearly as fun as it ought to have been.

Ok, guys, I am a HUGE Cornelia Funke fan. I met her in April at the Texas Library Association Conference. She is so kind and amazing!!!

 Reckless is not my favorite of her books though. I loved the Inkheart series. I always tell kids, "This is a series for people who LOVE books." The characters are so real and feel like kindred spirits. 

Reckless was... I don't know. Darker, harsher. I didn't love the characters the way I loved Meggie, Mo Dustfinger and Elinor in Inkheart. 

But if you haven't heard the way Cornelia Funke talks about writing her books you are in for a treat. It's like magic!!  

Guys! She didn't know he was going to get away until she wrote it! It's like her imagination is it's own person!!! I LOVE listening to her. I could just sit and take it in all day long!