New Series by Sharon Draper

I am still working on sharing all of the great books I found at NCTE's Annual Convention. One series that I am especially excited about is a new one by Sharon Draper.  The first book in the series is called SASSY: LITTLE SISTER IS NOT MY NAME. I read this advanced copy on the plane on the way home and think it will be a great addition to the series books that highlight strong girl characters.  Sassy is a fun character and you can tell that from the front cover.  

Sassy is a child who matches her name. Early in the book she says, "My mom says she gave me that name right after I was born, when she first took me in her arms, and I stuck out my tongue at her.  'What a sassy little princess you are!' she said right then and there." But the problem in this book is that no one uses Sassy's name when they talk to her. They call her Little Sister and she is tired of it.  

My favorite thing about Sassy is her "Sassy Sack". It is a purple, silver, pink, and magenta purse with lots of compartments and zippers.  Sassy loves the purse and has it with her at all times. She carries lots of things in the sack. Throughout the book, it is comical the number of things she pulls out of it.  Actually, I think one of the reasons I liked the book was because the Sassy Sack reminded me a bit of my own purse--you never know what you'll find in there. (Those of you that know me and have seen my purse, know that this is true!)

The book is a good one for children in 3rd and 4th grade and the character is one that is very likable. The plot is one that is easy to follow--not lots of layers but also not shallow.  

I have written before about the lack of books for transitional readers--especially series books-that feature African American characters and continue to be stunned by the statistics on what is being published.  So I was thrilled to see this new series by Draper and I was even more excited when I read this first book. I am excited that they'll be more books about series and I can't wait to share these with the kids at school--I hope that Scholastic gets several in this series out quickly:-)

A Book to Read--THE MIDDLE PLACE by Kelly Corrigan

So, I somehow missed this book when it came out in January. But the paperback is due out 2 days before Christmas. It just got moved to the top of my Next Read Stack.  (Even though I don't yet own a copy, it has become a priority.)

This is how I came to know about this book. I am now using Google Reader and Google Alerts. I found that Angela Maiers connected to our post on 21st Century Literacy in her own thoughtful post about the topic.  She shared 4 links of posts were related to hers. I followed them.  One of the links led me to a post called "Transcending through Connectedness" on another 21st Century Learning blog.  She begins her post by saying, "Have you ever noticed how these powerful 2.0 tools really do transcend time and space?" She then shares a video clip sent to her by someone else--a videoclip that I'll share here because I immediately had the urge to share it with everyone I know.

Then I went to Kelly Corrigan's website and blog which led me to her book on amazon. Amazon had yet another video related to the book.  

So, I am sold on the book and fascinated by the way I came upon it and how connected I already feel to the book and the author and all of the blogs that led me there.  And then I wanted to make sure everyone I knew also knew about this book, so here I am telling you:-) Who knew?

PROJECT FOR AWESOME

Have you seen John Green's Youtube video announcing December 17th as YOUTUBE Project 4 Awesome day? If not, check it out here.  

Great Interview!

Author James Preller interviews Karen and Bill of Literate Lives. Very fun. Lots of illustrations.

Newbery Readiness--So Many Books, So Little Time!

So, as you all know, we are never right in predicting the Newbery and I have learned that I can never read all of the books that I read about that are possibilities for the award.  But I do think it is fun to read and guess and pay attention to all of the conversations going on about the award.  I have been following several Mock Newbery sites and cannot possibly read all of the books that are listed on multiple sites. Really, I have no idea how the committee does this work.  To narrow the list for myself, I really want to read those books that will make good additions to our library collection. So, I've decided to set my goal on reading a few that sound like they'd be great for the kids at my school.  So, here are the five that I am hoping to read before the Newbery is announced in late January.  I'll keep you posted.

Jimmy's Stars by Mary Ann Rodman

Highway Cats by Jane Taylor Lisle

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Itch by Michelle Kwasney

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Nearest Book Meme

I saw this little meme on BestBookIHaveNotRead and decided to give it a try. Here are the rules:

* Get the book nearest to you. Right now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write this sentence - either as a comment here or on your blog (link back to us by replacing the trail link with this blog’s link).
* Copy these instructions as commentary of your sentence.
* Don’t look for your favorite book or your coolest but really the nearest.

The book nearest me right now is ZORGAMAZOO by Robert Paul Weston. The 5th sentence...well, that's not as easy as it would seem. This is a novel in verse. Not the kind that is made up of many poems that tell a story. This one is one novel-length (rhyming, even!) poem.

The fifth line on page 56 is "It was then to his horror that Mortimer knew". The fifth sentence on page 56 is "He couldn't just sit there, he couldn't just wait."

I've only read to page 42, so I'm not even sure what's going on on page 56. But I followed the rules and picked the book that was closest to me.

Now I'll cheat and check the second closest book, THE SAVAGE, by David Almond. "The savage lowered his ax." That was a great moment--a turning point in the book. I like that one better.

Now you try it. If you post, come leave a link in our comments, or just put your line in the comments, whichever works for you.

Poetry Friday -- Cats and Lions

Why Nobody Pets the Lion at the Zoo

by John Ciardi

The morning that the world began

The Lion growled a growl at Man.

And I suspect the Lion might

(If he’d been closer) have tried a bite.

I think that’s as it ought to be

And not as it was taught to me.

I think the Lion has a right

To growl a growl and bite a bite.

And if the Lion bothered Adam,

He should have growled right back at ’im.

The way to treat a Lion right

Is growl for growl and bite for bite.

True, the Lion is better fit

For biting than for being bit.

But if you look him in the eye

You’ll find the Lion’s rather shy.

He really wants someone to pet him.

The trouble is: his teeth won’t let him.

For the punchline, go here.



I chose this poem in honor of our cat, Willie Morris, who sees a lion when he looks in the mirror. He has the same problem with his teeth and with being petted as the lion in this poem.

Elaine has the round up this week at Wild Rose Reader.

Irresponsible

There are innumerable things I SHOULD be doing right now, but instead, I just added 14 new blogs to my reader.

Cooking blogs.

Bon Apetit made me do it.

Actually, it was Smitten Kitchen. (Check it out, Franki -- cookie recipes galore!!)

Knuckleheads

Knuckleheads

by Joan Holub

illustrated by Michael Slack

Chronicle Books, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

This is a very punny book. It lives to pun. Study the cover carefully to get an idea of what you're in for when you open the book: Handsel and Gretel, Handerella, Thumbelina, and Nose White. Yes, these characters are what their names imply: hands, a thumb and a nose.

In this version of Hansel and Gretel, the two children are a couple of unlikeable, misbehaving knuckleheads. They get what they deserve when they're sent by the fed-up coach to beyond the outfield to play catch. In the midst of their arguing about whose fault it is that they are lost, Handsel and Gretel bump into a house made of finger food ("Free Finger Tip: Never Nibble a Stranger's House"). In the house lives an evil witch who escapes from the hand of the law and disguises herself in the next story as Handerella's stepmother. Yes, STEPmother and STEPsisters. They aren't hands, they are feet. (Are you groaning yet?) I'll skip all the details, but true to form, Handerella gets the prints in the end (Finger Prints) and they ride off into the sunset together while the witch makes her way into Thumbelina's story: "Thumbelina was short. And so is her story." In the last story, the witch's mirror finally cracks under pressure and admits that Nose White is the most beautiful in the land. The queen tries to get the hired hand to punch Nose White out, but he is peaceful and just lets her go in the forest. Nose White meets a one-hand band and becomes their lead singer. The witch finds out that Nose White's still the most beautiful, tries to get revenge with dandelion fluff, is foiled by a handsome prince with a handkerchief, and winds up climbing out the window in the back cover of the book to find a new story.

Adults may or may not like this book; it is one of those books whose true test will be in the hands of children. I'll check back in to let you know what my 9 and 10 year-old beginning punsters make of it today.

Joan Holub's website (she's the author and/or illustrator of over 100 children's books!)

Michael Slack's blog

Fuse #8's review
Bees Knees Reads' review
the excelsior file's review

Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World

Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World

by Roseanne Thong

illustrated by Elisa Kleven

Chronicle Books, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

A lot of wishing happens at this time of the year. It starts with the elections and the turkey bones, and it progresses to letters to Santa and New Year resolutions (a sub-genre of wishing, don't you think?).

Thinking about wishing got me wondering:

Sometimes wishes are addressed to a recipient (Santa), but when they're not, where do they go?

What's the difference between wishing and asking? 

What's the difference between wishing and hoping?

Are blessings just wishes you make on behalf of another person?

Do you remember when you stopped wishing and started setting goals that you worked on to make happen?

WISH: WISHING TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD is the book that got me thinking about wishing. It's a beautiful book that introduces the reader to wishing traditions from 15 countries around the world, from Ireland and South Africa to Guatemala and Brazil. Each tradition is explained in a rhyme with a short paragraph of information and a gorgeous colorful illustration. In the back, there is a small amount of extra information about each tradition. It is more than a little amazing to learn that some wishes we take for granted (birthday candles on a round cake) have origins in ancient Greece, while others, such as wishing with coins, are universal. 

This book demonstrates that humans have always and will always attach meaning to symbols. So go ahead and make your wishes during this season of wishing, and deliver them to the hands of Santa or your loved ones, your own heart or the universe at large. Your wishing connects you to all the other past, present, and future humans on this planet. 

Other blog reviews:

JustOneMoreBook

The PlanetEsme Plan

7-Imp (illustrator feature)