It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

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

Still chipping away at the books we are considering for our Newbery Book Club this year. This week's read was one of my new all-time favorites.

This book really meant a lot to me before I was done. I am an adoptive parent and Milo's struggles hit home with me. I especially loved the author's note at the end. I hope everyone who reads this book loves it as much as I did. 

Genre: Mystery

AR level: none yet

Grade appropriate: 4th and up

The bizarre guests are snowed in at the Greenglass House! What a wonderful and mysterious place to be stranded! It’s magical and heartwarming.

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5-- Loved this book! It was one that I wished I could escape into. I remember feeling that way about stories when I was a kid, but it doesn’t happen all that often now.

Creativity: 5/5-- Mystery stories do tend to be very similar. This one breaks the mold.

Characters: 5/5-- I love Meddy’s confidence. Even as Milo is telling her how ridiculous her game is she very calmly and confidently says “No, it’s how the game works.” and keeps on and Milo follows because she seems to know what she’s doing.

I also love how Milo goes from being insecure and anxious to confident and a leader. The game worked a miracle in him. “He did get to decide what he was going to do from here… he got to decide who Milo was. He got to choose who and what he was going to be from now on.”

Engrossing: 5/5-- 384 pages and I read it in 3 days… With a full time job and small children.

Writing: 5/5-- I so prefer, when being drawn into an unfamiliar world, to start out with a character who knows nothing of the world and learn with them (as this book introduces us to the game) rather than being thrown into a world where the narrator is constantly having to explain the vernacular that the reader knows nothing about. It feels much less awkward or forced.

The research (or prior knowledge) Kate Milford needed of gaming and fantastical creatures is amazing.

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- If they can get over the size of it, they’ll love it!

Appropriate length to tell the story: 4/5-- It’s daunting to look at! I’m worried that will put kids off. Most of the time I was reading I was so engrossed I didn’t worry about it. However, about page 300 I started to look ahead and see how much more there was...

CONTENT:

Language: mild-- “We’re still having Christmas, come hell or high water.” “All hell broke loose.”

Sexuality: none

Violence: mild-- two people in the history of the house fell to their deaths and the story is told in the book. The bad guy does threaten the house’s residents with a gun.

Drugs/Alcohol: mild--the adults drink whiskey in hot toddies and in their coffee occasionally.

Other: The main character reads a book with several creepy stories in it. In one a girl challenges the Devil, in another selkies (seals who transform into beautiful women and try to trick people) are briefly mentioned.

There is also a ghost story associated with the Greenglass house.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

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

Along with the other teachers in our Newbery Book Club, I am focusing on books preparing for the club. These two are on our list. 

 

Genre: Science Fiction
AR level: 6.0
Grade appropriate: 5th and up

Clever and witty! But probably a bit too mature for most elementary kids.

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- I thouroughly enjoyed this book. But I am going to require the kids in our book club to have parent permission to read it. It's going to take a mature elementary school student to be able to handle it. It's a perfect middle school book.

Creativity: 5/5-- inventions left behind by Nikola Tesla that cause the near apocalypse? Creative.

Characters: 5/5-- loved the characters. Quirky, funny, & real

Engrossing: 5/5-- It’s magnetic! I could not put it down.

Writing: 5/5-- Most of the time if the writing and phrasing is not noticeable, I call it a win. If the author can tell a wonderful story and not get caught up in the language that’s a plus. But this book had such wittiness! It reminded me of a well-done adult book. “After a change in barometric pressure that fogged all the windows of her house, the sky let forth with the kind of psychotic determination that made people build arks.”

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- middle school

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: mild-- “Hell breaks loose in a variety of ways.” “God!” "Hellish reality" without tv.

Sexuality: mild--kissing, talking about wanting to make-out, boxers that say "This package is explosive!"
Some innuendo that most elementary students will not catch, almost like a kids movie with adult content hidden in.

Violence: none-- The Accelerati (bad guys) kill someone (off scene) for talking to the kids and the kids “reanimate” him to learn what information he had.


Drugs/Alcohol: none 

~~~

  

Genre: realistic

AR level: 5.3
Grade appropriate: 4th & up

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- sweet book that deals with real life problems that kids face all the time.

Creativity:3/5-- a lot like other middle grade novels about kids from low income families

Characters: 5/5-- likeable, realistic characters

Engrossing:3/5-- this book didn't suck me in like I hoped it would

Writing:4/5

Appeal to kids:4/5-- I just don't know yet...

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- easy read

CONTENT:
Language: none

Sexuality:mild-- a character draws bras on magazine covers, Star's teenage sister gets pregnant

Violence:mild-- Star gets into a food fight, one of her friend punches people (he has issues)

Drugs/Alcohol: none-- but girls at school tell Star that only drug addicts live in the trailer park 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

Both of the books I read this week are being included in our Newbery Book Club. 

 

We are not 100% sure that this book will qualify for the Newbery since the author lives in Australia, but it is such a good book and getting so much attention we are including it in our book club either way.

Genre: Fantasy

AR level:4.9
Grade appropriate: 3rd grade and up

I have to admit, I started this book a while ago & then stopped. I picked it up again because of all the attention it seems to be getting. I was glad I did.

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall:4/5-- good modern day retelling of a fairy tale we don't hear all the time. It takes place in modern day but feels timeless. I love that!

Creativity: 5/5-- not many people tackle The Snow Queen for a retelling.

Characters: 5/5-- I liked the main characters which is always a big deal to me. If I'm going to spend time with this story & characters I want to like them or grow to like them.

Engrossing:3/5-- like I mentioned above, I put this book down the first time I picked it up. Can't quite pinpoint what the problem is. I just wasn't sucked in...

Writing:4/5-- the writing is good. It doesn't get in the way of the story.

Appeal to kids:4/5-- I hope kids will be drawn to it.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: none

Violence:mild-- a sword fight with the villain at the end

Drugs/Alcohol: none

 

~~~

Genre: science fiction
AR level: None yet
Grade appropriate: 4th & up

RATING BREAKDOWN:
 
Overall: 5/5-- this is a story about a girl whose grandfather is a mad scientist. It's funny, silly, poignant and thought provoking.
 
 Creativity: 5/5-- how many books are about a middle schooler whose 14 year old grandpa comes to live with them?
 
Characters: 5/5-- loved Ellie & grandpa. The characters are real & likeable
 
Engrossing: 5/5-- I read it in e-book format. That should tell you something right there. I can't seem to finish e-books. This one was good enough that it transcended it's medium.
 
Writing: 5/5
 
Appeal to kids: 5/5-- they're gonna love it!
 
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: mild-- grandpa drinks red wine at one point & gets sick.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

I'm catching up on books I read over the summer so bear with me.

It's completely ridiculous how many times I've read these books. I haven't kept count but I estimate I've read all 7 at least 10 times. I won't review them every time I'm reading them so I'm going to do it once and call it good.

Genre:Fantasy
AR level: 5.5
Grade appropriate: 4th grade and up
I feel strongly that kids younger than Harry is in each book should proceed with caution. For example, Harry is 11 in this book (the first in the series) and I feel like a typical 11 year old could probably handle this book fairly well. They do have elements of evil that can be frightening, but good always wins. They do get darker as the books progress and as Harry gets older.

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- Fantastic writing. Fantastic story. Loveable characters. I could go on and on.

Creativity: 5/5-- I know that JK Rowling did research traditional fantasy creatures so that she could be consistent with the fantasy world, but other than that her story is completely unlike any other fantasy written before her. (Many have written copy cats since however.)

Characters: 5/5-- I love these kids. Ron is my personal favorite, but I feel such a kinship with them that I just keep reading over and over.

Engrossing: 5/5-- I typically read all 7 books in order every 2 or 3 years if that answers the "engrossing" question for you.

Writing: 5/5-- Fantastic, how does she write so that it seems to effortless to follow? How does she keep all of the different story lines straight? I am amazed every time.

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- The kids love this series. I only have the first 3 in the elementary because I feel that the fourth is when they really start to get dark. But kids request them all constantly. And they're not new anymore. So unusual for something to hold its appeal the way these do.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- They are not short books. They can be intimidating to less experienced readers. However, I love all the detail about the kids lives at school. It's what makes the books so superior to the movies, the time and detail that lets you really get to know the characters.

CONTENT:
Language: mild-- I think there are a couple of swear words in this first book. Mostly British things... (bloody, etc.)
Sexuality: none
Violence: mild-- Harry faces Lord Voldemort in the end and while Harry doesn't perpetrate any of the violence Lord Voldemort is an evil character...

Drugs/Alcohol: none

 ~~~

 I'm a fan of Blue Balliett. I like how she combines a mystery with art history in such a way that you don't realize how much you are learning about art as you are enjoying her story.

Genre: Mystery

AR level: 5.4

Grade appropriate: 3rd grade and up

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- an interesting book and entertaining as well.

Creativity: 5/5-- Balliett is the only author I know of that incorporates art into her children's books.

Characters: 4/5-- In this book Petra and Tommy are so frustrated with each other in the beginning that they are pretty annoying, but as the book goes on and they begin to respect each other more they improve.

Engrossing: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Appeal to kids: 3/5-- I have not been able to hook kids on Blue Balliett the way I have been. I think the writing style is a little complex for them to really get into the story. Makes a great audiobook.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: mild-- one of the minor character's fathers spends quite a bit of time in a pub and drunkenly chases her away at one point.

It's Tuesday! What Are You Reading?

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You'll have to forgive my summer willy-nilly-ness with my posting! Hey, it's summer!

I have read and loved Blue Balliett's books for years. Before I even became a librarian. I just enjoyed them for me. 

My oldest and I are listening to this one in the car and loving it. It's mystery and a great book about friendship with a little art history for fun! 

I'll review soon! 

 

I have to admit, this one is a little outside my comfort zone. It's one I got as an ARC copy and IT'S SCARY! 

It's taken me a while to get through it, and I can't decide if it's too scary for our library here at FWC. I may have to pass it along to another teacher and get a second opinion. I'll keep you posted. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

I have some serious apologizing to do. I can't believe I went a month and a half without posting. I do have an excuse. (It's the same excuse I had last time I took a crazy long break from blogging.

New baby, same old excuse. (I'll take another blogging break in December/January-ish too because that's when Baby Senter will be putting in an appearance.)

But I promise I have been reading. I have not been blogging or reviewing... 

I've also taken advantage of summer and read some adult books and young adult books and I love that. 

Here's the children's lit that I've been reading: 

(If you're interested in the YA and Adult lit that I've been reading check my Goodreads page.)

  

 Loved it! Read it. 

 Ok, other's I've liked better...

 Wonderful and infuriating. I recommend for fans of Wonder. 

Eh... For visual readers, fans of graphic novels. 

Great, but I'm only going to recommend it to my more mature 4th & 5th graders. 

I'll try to stay on top of the blogging better...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

Genre: Realistic
AR level: 3.6
Grade appropriate: 2nd and up           

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- A sweet little book about a girl who's best friend has deserted her for another friend and she turns to reading to cope. She eventually learns that there is a lot going on in this girl's home life although it doesn't go into much detail.

Creativity: 3/5-- Very similar to many books about this age group, but I loved the way Anna read well-known and loved books.

Characters: 4/5-- I liked Anna and her sweet little family. I really liked Ray the crossing guard. This reminds me of my own son who has befriended the custodian at his school.

Engrossing: 3/5-- It's short and so it holds your attention.

Writing: 4/5

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- It's the kind of sweet little book that many 2nd-3rd grade girls really identify with.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none

~~~

Genre: Science Fiction   

AR level: 5.9

Grade appropriate: 4th and up

In library? Yes! We have 4 copies and they are constantly checked out.

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5-- I really did love this book. I was not really looking forward to it, but several of the kids had been telling me how great it was and it’s on the Bluebonnet list this year so I gave it a whirl. Was pleasantly surprised.

Creativity: 5/5-- It’s a dystopic book set under the ocean. Didn’t see that one coming!

Characters: 5/5-- I did truly like the characters. They were likable but still realistic with flaws and lots of mistakes.

Engrossing: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- Never on the shelf.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- A good way to judge this for me is “How many kids are turning this book in unfinished?” Answer: None.

CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: mild-- The heroine gets kissed twice.

Violence: medium-- They do have to fight for their lives. A mother gets killed in the beginning trying to save her daughter and there is plenty of fighting against sea creatures looking for a good meal.

Drugs/Alcohol: none