SHOOTING THE MOON by Frances O'Roark Dowell

WOW! I had a great reading week (and it is only Wednesday!).  I had airport delays and had some extra reading time.  The plane rides were a bit bumpy so I didn't sleep.  Lucky for me, I had great books.  One, that has been on my stack for a while is SHOOTING THE MOON by Frances O'Roark Dowell.  She has been an author I have paid attention to for a while.  I can always count on her books to engage and surprise me.

SHOOTING THE MOON is definitely my favorite for this author. It is a powerful story and, as always, Dowell builds characters that we know and love. I read completely for character--plot is secondary.  And I loved the characters in the book.  The thing that I am always amazed with in her writing is how well we get to know, even the minor characters. I love that about her writing.

SHOOTING THE MOON is about Jamie Dexter and is set during the Vietnam War. Jamie's father is a colonel and she has grown up with a great love of the military. Now, her brother, TJ has enlisted and has been sent to Vietnam. While he is there, he sends Jamie film to be developed--pictures that he takes in Vietnam. The pictures begin to tell the story of the war of of TJ's life there.

This is a powerful story. A story of how war affects a family and how a family deals with a child that is sent to war. It is the story of a young girl growing up and finding herself.  And there is amazing thread of photography throughout the book. 

This is not an easy book to read in 2008--when we are in the midst of a war. I was worried about how it would end. I worried the whole way through the book. I am certainly not going to give it a way, but it was an ending that was satisfying, believable, and..oh, I won't say anymore. But she scored a few more points with me as a writer for the ending. Very brilliantly done, I thought.

I had this on my stack but then decided to move it to the top of my stack after Betsy at Fuse #8 put it on her Newbery Predictions (Spring Edition!) List:-) Betsy has this one as her #1 pick.  Right now, this one is right up there with THE UNDERNEATH. I really lucked out with the 2 books I threw in my carry-on bag this week!  I don't know if I'll be able to top these. You know how reading is after you've read something amazing? But it was well worth it to have read this book. I am pretty sure this one will end up on my Newbery prediction list in January.

What are Katie Ray and Brenda Power Reading?

From Brenda Power, author of LIVING THE QUESTIONS and Founder of Choice Literacy.

For fun - WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES by David Sedaris

It's a collection of his essays - I read many when they were originally published, but he's my favorite author so it's always a treat to see them collected in one place.

Professionally, I'm reading more business books than literacy education books this summer.

From Katie Wood Ray author of WONDROUS WORDS, STUDY DRIVEN, and ALREADY READY.



Funny you should ask... I'm headed out to the bookstore this morning to get THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. I read a review of it and have heard a good bit of buzz about it and I want to take it on vacation with me next week. It fits into my own little reading club (as Kathy Collins calls them) stack of books about people and dogs that change their lives. As part of this reading journey, I've read A THREE DOG LIFE, MOSTLY BOB, A DOG YEAR, MARLEY AND ME (of course), and 10 SECRETS MY DOG TAUGHT ME. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Outside of this "canine" reading club, I recently finished a book Ralph [Fletcher] recommended to me, THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD (very interesting way this book is crafted), and I read TWILIGHT so I would know what all the teenagers are talking about. I also have a stack of new professional books I bought while at Lakota that I'm anxious to dig into but haven't started yet.

Poohsticks Bridge in the Ashdown Forest

Our first night in the UK, we stayed near the Ashdown Forest, which is famous for its association with Winnie-the-Pooh. A.A. Milne was inspired by his son Christopher Robin and his son's toys, as well as the landscape of the Forest. Ashdown Forest is actually an area of open heathland, not a thickly wooded area, as its name would suggest.

Here is a portion of Chapter VI, "In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In," from The House At Pooh Corner, and my photos to illustrate.

"There was a broad track, almost as broad as a road, leading from the Outland to the Forest, but before it could come to the forest it had to cross this river.









So, where it crossed, there was a wooden bridge, almost as broad as a road, with wooden rails on each side of it. Christopher Robin could just get his chin to the top rail, if he wanted to, but it was more fun to stand on the bottom rail, so that he could lean right over, and watch the river slipping slowly away beneath him. Pooh could get his chin on the bottom rail if he wanted to, but it was more fun to lie down and get his head under it, and watch the river slipping slowly away beneath him. And this was the only way in which Piglet and Roo could watch the river at all, because they were too small to reach the bottom rail. So they would lie down and watch it...and it slipped away very slowly, being in no hurry to get there."

What are Shelley Harwayne and Terry Thompson Reading?

From Shelley Harwayne, author of LASTING IMPRESSIONS, GOING PUBLIC, and LOOK WHO’S READING.

I just finished THE WHISTLING SEASON by Ivan Doig

My bookclub members suggested this novel. It is quite a tribute to the one room schoolhouse told by a young boy who grows up to be the superintendent of schools in his childhood locale.

I am also reading FATHER KNOWS LESS by Wendell Jamieson
This non fiction book. It is a collection of real children’s questions with responses offered by experts in the field. The author was inspired by the questions his young son asked.

From Terry Thompson author of ADVENTURES IN GRAPHICA
Professionally, I'm reading 3-MINUTE MOTIVATORS: MORE THAN 100 SIMPLE WAYS TO REACH, TEACH, and ACHIEVE MORE THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED (Paterson, Pembroke), The ORACY INSTRUCTION GUIDE: LINKING RESEARCH AND THEORY TO ASSESSMENT AND INSTRUCTION (Gentile, Dominie Press), THE VOCABULARY BOOK: LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION (Graves), and I'm rereading 6+1 TRAITS OF WRITING: THE COMPLETE GUIDE GRADES 3 AND UP (Culham, Scholastic), .



In children's literature, I'm reading various picture books and Jerry Spinelli's book, MILKWEED (Random House), set in Nazi occupied Warsaw, and Katie DiCamillo's book, THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE (Candlewick Press).

I do most of my pleasure reading in the summer, and I'm a big historical fiction buff. So for fun, after I finish reading Elizabeth Kostova's novel THE HISTORIAN (Bay Back Books) about a historian's search for the origins of the real Vlad Dracula (a rather intelligent vampire novel), I plan to read THE EMANCIPATOR'S WIFE, a novel about the interesting life and personality of Mary Todd Lincoln by Barbara Hambly (Bantam Books). Then, if there's any summer left, I want to start reading THE OBSERVATIONS by Jane Harris (Viking) that's set in Scotland in 1863 and is about a hilarious, sharp-tongued Irish maid and her psychotically suspicious mistress.



Yea...well...I left off the JANE AUSTEN CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE BOOK!

Sort of embarrassing to admit I'm reading it, but you can't get better mindless summer reading than that!!!

What are Debbie Miller, Jen Allen and Kelly Gallagher Reading?

Every day this week, we'll be letting you in on what some of our favorite literacy educators are reading this summer. We thought it would be fun to get the reading gossip from our favorite experts in the field of literacy education. So, check out the blog each day for the scoop on what people are reading and to get some great new titles for your summer reading!



Debbie Miller, author or READING WITH MEANING
This summer our book club has been reading WHAT IS THE WHAT by Dave Eggers. It's a novel based on the life of Valentino Deng, and thousands of other boys (the so-called Lost Boys) who were forced to leave their villages in Sudan. It's eye-opening and amazing!

Also just started REREADING FLUENCY by Bess Altwerger, Nancy Jordan and Nancy Rankie Shelton. This one, too, is eye-opening and amazing! So much great information in a tiny little book. And so much to think about. I can't wait to share it with teachers.

I'm also reading PUNISHED BY REWARDS by Alfie Kohn. I love his work and this one really speaks to me.

For my birthday my husband gave me the book GRAPHIC WITNESS--Four Wordless Graphic Novels. I'm inferring my little heart out trying to understand this one!

Next up? THE BRIDGE OF SIGNS by Richard Russo and THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE by David Wroblewski.


From Jen Allen, author of BECOMING A LITERACY LEADER




I just finished reading THE BOOK THIEF. I read this for the book club that I am in. I just picked up THEN WE CAME TO THE END by Joshua Ferris at Powell's book store.


From Kelly Gallagher, author of DEEPER READING, READING REASONS, and TEACHING ADOLESCENT WRITERS

I just finished reading THE COMMISSION: AN UNCENSORED HISTORY OF THE 9/11 INVESTIGATION by Philp Shenon. Great book.
Am currently reading NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL: THE RISE AND RUIN OF A BLACK INSTITUTION by Neil Lanctot.
Next to be read is Tom Perrotta's THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER.

Sunday Garden Tour

I just stopped over at a wrung sponge and swooned when I saw her day lily pictures.

My day lilies are only just on the verge of blooming. I've got ROSES on my mind!

A week ago today we were walking in the rose garden on the grounds of Blenheim Palace near Oxford, UK. While we were staying in Germany, we learned that roses love Salvia. And sure enough, all around the edge of this gorgeous rose garden was a thick border of Salvia.

We have one rose bush in our garden. We got it as a gift, in memory of our dog Bess, a year ago May. It was hit hard last summer, and again this summer by "rose slugs." (Not really slugs, but caterpillars of the sawfly wasp.) Not only do we hate using chemicals on it, the chemicals don't seem to have worked very well.

So, one of the first things I did when we got home was hit the half-off perennial sales at the garden store and get a couple of Salvias to see if they can help. Then AJ went back and got two more that we'll plant this evening. (It sure is good to be home again and puttering in the garden!)

Do you have any tried and true ways to help roses thrive? Let me know. And stop by a wrung sponge and let her know what's going on in your garden this week!

I'm Back!

I know, I know. You didn't even realize I was gone. Didn't Franki do a GREAT job keeping the blog rolling?!?

Where was I? First, we went to Germany to celebrate the 80th birthday of my German "mom" (honorary title earned during my 6-weeks stay as a Lion's Club exchange student in high school).









(The German countryside, seen from the airplane window.)

Then we flew to the UK and drove 755 miles around southern England.









(That's the Thames River flowing into the English Channel.)

Stay tuned for the details of my European children's literature moments.

What Are Our Favorite Literacy Educators Reading?

Next week, we'll be talking to several of our favorite literacy educators--Debbie Miller, Ralph Fletcher, Shelley Harwayne and more. We thought it would be fun to find out what some of them are reading this summer. Kind of like the US WEEKLY of Literacy Teachers--getting the scoop on our favorite mentors and what they are reading.

So, each day next week, stop by to see what people are reading. It is just fun to be nosy and see their summer reading list. But we think we'll also get great titles for our own rest-of-summer reading.

POETRY FRIDAY: HAIKU BABY

I picked up a sweet new poetry board book this week. HAIKU BABY by Betsy Snyder is great fun and a great addition to any baby gift! The book is small--typical board book size. And it has tabs on the side that serve as a simple Table of Contents type thing. The tabs show an illustration of the Haiku topics. When you go to the tabbed page, the word appears (in Japanese and English). Each is accompanied by a very sweet Haiku. The author gives us a Haiku about rain, flowers, the sun. leaves, the moon and more. The illustrations are bright and happy--perfect for young children. This is a great little poetry collection for young children. I can see it in the hands of early elementary students too. These board books hold up well in classrooms and I think this would be a good addition to any poetry collection.


The round up this week is at In Search of Giants.

T is for Tugboat

T is for Tugboat
by Shoshanna Kirk
Chronicle Books, 2008
review copy compliments of the publisher

There are now three books in this series by Chronicle Books. The first in the series is A is for Astronaut. About a year ago, Franki reviewed C is For Caboose. Now that I've had the chance to read one cover to cover, I'll probably have to buy all three for my collection of ABC books.

In T is for Tugboat, there are about three nautical words or phrases per letter, and the illustrations are a great combination of vintage (and vintage-looking) prints like the cover, historical and modern photographs, photos of artifacts, and diagrams. My favorite page is the the two-page spread for K -- 31 knots are illustrated! There's also a great labeled diagram of a sailboat, and the end papers are the International Code of Maritime Flags. Lots to look at and talk about!