Next Year's Readers: Three Middle Grade Novels

Now that students are bringing back all the books they've had checked out the past few months, I am faced with the reality that my bookshelves are officially At Capacity, and so is my classroom when it comes to the number of bookshelves in the room. In order for there to be space for all my books, some weeding is going to have to take place. This also means that in order for me to add new books, I will have to make room by removing the books no one has been reading. (Which is SO hard, because for each and every book I remove, I can imagine a possible future reader who will love that book!) 

That said, here are three new/newer middle grade novels that are ensured a place on the shelves in my classroom.

Counting Thyme
by Melanie Conklin
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2016

Thyme and her family move from California to New York City in order for her little brother to take part in a cancer drug clinical trial. All Thyme wants is to do enough chores to earn the time she needs to go back and spend her shared birthday with her best friend Shani.

Thyme gradually adjusts to life in the city (including a small apartment rather than a house with a yard), her new school and friends, the housekeeper, Mrs. Ravelli, and the quirky neighbor, Mr. Lipinski, and is able to look beyond her own life to realize the complexity of others' lives.

It's been a long time since characters and a story grabbed me like this and wouldn't let me go until I finished the book!

The Seventh Most Important Thing

by Shelley Pearsall

Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015

This is another book that grabbed me at the first page and wouldn't let me go until I finished it! Karen Terlecky's review on GoodReads sums up the plot: "This was a cross between Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and Touching Spirit Bear." The author's notes at the end gave an interesting view of her process -- where she got the idea for the story and how much of the story is truth vs. imagination. It's been since The Hired Girl and The Thing About Jellyfish that I copied so many great quotes into my notebook.

Stella by Starlight

by Sharon Draper

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015

Woven through this unflinching look at racial discrimination in the Jim Crow south during the Depression, is the story of the awakening of a young writer to her craft.

From the KKK, to separate and definitely unequal schools, to blatant voting discrimination, Sharon Draper tells it like it was. Through it all, Stella, her family, and her community remain positive and hopeful, working for a fair and just future which today remains elusive but just as worth fighting for now as it was then. This is an important book for read aloud and discussion, either in racially diverse or in racially similar classrooms. 

Poetry Friday -- Hidden Miracles

Jack in the Pulpit:

unrecognized miracle

pokes up amongst ferns

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016

How many miracles do we walk by every day, not acknowledging them or perhaps not even recognizing them?

May you go through your day today with wide open eyes. What miracles might you witness?

Margaret has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Reflections on the Teche.

And if you're curious, here's what the Jack in the Pulpit will look like in a couple of days (photo from last year):

This Week's Online Reading

My favorite online reading this week included:

I've been reading a great deal on Early Childhood Education. Being back in 3rd grade for a few years and realizing how much has changed since last time I taught this age, I am trying to read as much as I can about the early years in education and how to get back to what we know about how young children learn. This article from the Washington Post was an interesting read.

Another article, The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten had similar messages.

And this article The Privatization of Childhood Play shares an interesting theory about play dates.

And I always find something fabulous on Glennon's blog. This week, shared a post she wrote a while ago that is so important for parents and teachers--It's Just as Simple and As Hard as This. 

I love Sheryl Sandberg and have learned so much from her. Her recent commencement speech has been shared online this week and it is one I plan to reread several times.  Lots to learn from it.

I also love what Seth Godin has to say. I loved his recent post The Toddler Strategy. 

And I feel like I need to reread What Young Men of Color Can Teach Us About the Achievement Gap several times as there is so much to think about and learn from this article.

There was also a great piece called Seven Things I'm Learning about Transgender People that is very informative.

I've been reading a great deal on homework and it seems to be on a lot of people's minds.  This week I read 5 Steps to Rebranding Homework.

If you don't read the NCTE blog, it always has thoughtful posts.   Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline in and out of the English Classroom by Nicole Mirra is an important read.  A Legacy of Pride for May by Jocelyn Chadwick is also a must-read on the blog.

I think I am going to share this article, 10 Tips for Summer Reading, with parents before summer break.

I am not surprised by this article, "Books Are Back. Only the Technodazzled Thought They Would Go Away".

BEA 2016 Children's Breakfast Speakers Agree: Books Change Lives

And this, Worst End-of-the-School-Year Mom Ever, reminded me that it isn't only teachers who are almost out of energy at this time of year. It is also moms!

Unhelpful Punishment is a must read that addresses the harmful ways schools discipline students from low-income homes.

The PARCC Test Exposed from an anonymous public school teacher.

And this news: Court Sides With Teacher in N.Y. Evaluation Rating Lawsuit.

Books for Fairy Tale Lovers

I have several 3rd graders who are hooked on fairy tale novels. I think most of them were hooked with the Whatever After series early in the year, and they've moved on from there (even though they devour the new ones as they are released). Many books I have in the classroom. Others, they've discovered on their own and shared with other readers who have similar tastes.  There are so many series out there that fit exactly what these kids are looking for---fairy tales or something connected in some way to the fairy tales they know and love.  These are some of the favorites in the classroom right now.  They are all great for grades 3-5ish.

The Whatever After Series--You can learn more about this series on the Scholastic website.

The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer.  You can visit the Land of Stories webpage here.

The Fairy Dust Trilogy by Gail Carson Levine

Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom--The series website is here.

The Grace Lin trilogy (3rd one due out this year) is a great series for kids who enjoy other fantasy/fairy tales.  Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the first in this trilogy. 

We are currently reading aloud Rump by Liesl Shurtliff. My kids love this one and are anxious to read the other two in this series,  Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk and Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood.

 

The Kingdom Keepers series isn't quite a fairy tale but there are lots of familiar characters and storylines as it takes place in Disney World!  There is a Kingdom Keepers website that you can visit here.

The Sisters Grimm( Fairy Detectives is the first in the series) is another great fairy tale series by Michael Buckley.

A new favorite is the Hamster Princess series by Ursula Vernon (author of the Dragonbreath series).  I read this one last summer and could not believe how much I loved this princess and the humor in these stories. There are only 2 out in the series but we hope there are lots more coming soon!

And we love the Tuesdays at the Castle series at our school. Last year we were lucky enough to host Jessica Day George for an author visit and it's been fun to see kids continue to be excited about the new books in the series too!  

This is one of my favorite kinds of books so it has been fun to watch a group of 3rd graders discover the fun in these this year!

Baseball: Then to Wow!

I always love to find a new nonfiction sports book to add to our sports basket, so I bought this one when I saw it.  Sports Illustrated for Kids seems to publish stuff that is really interesting for kids. I figured (just by the cover) that kids would like Baseball: Then to Wow! but when I opened it I realized how packed it was with single-page spreads that I could use for mini lessons and small group instruction too.

The visuals in this book are BRILLIANT.  Every page focuses on a different topic and then shows how things have changed over the years.  Some pages, show a timeline--for example the page on Catcher's Masks starts in the 1870s and goes decade by decade showing what they looked like and some facts about them over the years.  Another page, The Five-Tool Player compares two players in a Then and Now table. Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout.

I don't know a lot about baseball but this book is engaging as a reader because of the amount of information and the way it is displayed.  There is a lot for kids in this book. First of all, I think they will just enjoy it for the book that it is. It is a great read packed with fascinating info. As readers, they can learn a lot about how to read visuals--there is such a variety of visual information that I can see using several pages in lessons as we learn to navigate nonfiction. I also think as writers, they'll want to try some things out.  I have lots of kids who write about sports and start out in pretty traditional ways. This gives them new ways to think about how they might best share information with readers.

This book is packed with information as well as real photos, artifacts, maps and more.  It is definitely going to be one of my go-to nonfiction texts next year.  (If you go to the book on Amazon, you can "Look Inside" and see some of the visuals.)

Poetry Friday -- Mary Oliver

MESSENGER

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

~ Mary Oliver, born in 1935, American poet

When what I typically call my work becomes just a bit overwhelming, it's good to remember what my work really is (or should be).

Violet has this week's Poetry Friday Roundup at Violet Nesdoly | Poems.

Some Professional Books I Am Looking Forward to Reading This Summer

My stack of professional books continues to grow as there are so many things to learn and so many smart people writing!  There are a few books that I am especially excited to dig into this summer. They are:

DIY Literacy by Kate Roberts and Maggie Beattie Roberts. Well, I've already read this book once. I wrote the foreword and it was such an honor to do so. One big perk of writing a foreword is that you get to be an early reader of the book! So I was able to read this book when it was in production and I fell in love with it.  The authors are brilliant and they give us so much to think about.  I want to revisit it this summer now that I have the actual book. Summer is a good time for me to revisit books that make a big impact on me so I can think about how best to implement my new learning.   If you have not seen Kate and Maggie's videos that go along with the release of the book, they are fabulous.

Who's Doing the Work by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris is a book I can't wait to read!  I love the work of these authors and can't wait to read this new one over the summer when I really have time to really stop and think about all they have to say. They have a way of regrounding me and reminding me what is right for our classrooms.  I love the focus on student identity and agency in all of their work.  I love these words on the Stenhouse website that describe the book: " Who's Doing the Work? suggests ways to make small but powerful adjustments to instruction that hold student accountable for their own learning.  It offers a vision for adjusting reading instruction to better align with the goal of creating independent, proficient, and joyful readers." 

The Big Book of Details by Rozlyn Linder is a book I have spent a bit of time with but one I want to spend more time with this summer. I did a lot of work rethinking Writing Workshop this year and want to continue to rethink over the summer.  This book is packed with lessons but in a way that helps you think through intention and how the lesson fits into the bigger picture. You can see a video of Rozlyn talking about the book on the Heinemann site.

Another book that will help me as a writing teacher is a new one I just saw on Stenhouse's site. Craft Moves:  Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz.  You probably know Stacey from Two Writing Teachers blog. After reading the book's description, I knew it was a book I would need to buy!

Purposeful Play: A Teacher's Guide to Igniting Deep and Joyful Learning Across the Day by Kristine Mraz, Alison Porcelli and Cheryl Tyler is a book I am most excited to read. I am a huge Kristine Mraz fan and have been learning so much from her over the past few years.  I have been thinking a great deal about joy and play and how to get back to what we know is right for young children in the classroom. I hope to dig into this one with friends who will also be reading it.

And I am excited about the K-2 version of Well-Played: Building Mathematical Thinking Through Number Games and Puzzles by Linda Dacey, Karen Gartland and Jayne Bamford Lynch. I so loved the 3-5 book and learned so much about games from these authors.   Being a 3rd grade teacher I know the K-2 book will  help me better support some students who need support with various concepts. Looking forward to it!

2 New Nonfiction Picture Books

I read about the book Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood on a blog and knew I had to have it. I loved the story but hadn't ever heard anything about this amazing orchestra. Then a friend sent me this video clip.  

And this TEDx talk by Favio Chavez at TEDxAmsterdam



Ada's Violin tells the story of Ada and this orchestra.  The story is an inspiring one and the illustrations are brilliant. The author's note and photos at the end give readers more information. I can't wait to share this one with my students!

The other book I have been anticipating is Whoosh!  Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton. I am a huge Chris Barton fan. (The Day-Glo Brothers hooked me years ago.) Chris Barton always finds these amazing stories of people and this one about Lonnie Johnson is a god one!  Lonnie Johnson is the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun. But he is also the inventor of so many things. This is a great story about someone who works hard at something he is passionate about. In the author's note, Barton says, "What was most appealing about Lonnie Johnson's story was the fact that it is still unfolding.  He didn't just take his Super Soaker money and retire young. Instead, he directed it toward hands-on efforts to solve one of the world's most important engineering puzzles of our day. His mission? To efficiently harness heat energy--from the sun and other sources--in order to generate the electricity we need without polluting the planet."  I love so much about this book. I love that it expands the scientists our children know. I love how it ties into the maker movement with all that Lonnie Johnson has created.  And I love that we can continue to follow his work.  Below is an interview with Lonnie Johnson from several years ago.

Chris Barton has written another amazing book about another amazing person. I am excited to add this to our picture book biography collection. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Thanks to Kellee (Unleashing Readers) and Jen (Teach Mentor Texts) for hosting It's Monday! What Are you Reading! Check out their blogs for the round up!

2016 is such a great year for books!  I've read so many great books. Her are some of my favorite recent reads:

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart is an important read for everyone. This is a great story about two teenagers.  Lily Jo McGrother, born Timothy McGrother, is a girl.  Duncan Dorfman is dealing with bipolar disorder and other issues in his life.  This is a great story about friendship, kindness, understanding and change.  As a teacher this was an important book for me as it not only helped me understand what transgender teenagers might be experiencing, but it also helped me understand the challenges that parents face too. This book seems perfect for middle schoolers-I'd consider it a young YA book.  

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner is another must read.  Kate Messner is one of those authors who can write about hard issues in a way that is perfect for middle grade and middle grade students. In this book we get to know Charlie who catches a magical fish who will grant her wishes.   As the story progresses, we learn that Charlie's college-age sister is dealing with heroin addiction.  Charlie wants desperately to make a wish that will make things better for her family.  Kate Messner does a great job of dealing with not only the issue of drug abuse but the effect it has on families.  

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown was worth the wait! I am a huge Peter Brown fan and love all of his work. When I heard he was writing a middle grade novel I was thrilled.  I got a copy of the book the day it was released and read it in a few sittings.  Roz, a robot, lands on an island and builds a life for herself there with the animals. I can't name exactly when I fell in love with Roz but I did and I was totally drawn into her story.  This book is one that has such powerful messages and is one that begs to be reread.  Totally brilliant book and very unique. I can't think of another book that does what this one does.

The Firefly Code by Megan Frazer Blakemore is my favorite kind of book--a dystopian fantasy. Most of these that I read are YA but this one is perfect for middle school. Mori and her friends live in Old Harmonie, a perfect world that is protected from pretty much everything.  A new girl, Ilana, moves into the neighborhood and things start to change. This is a book that engaged me throughout and I think it will be hugely popular in 5th and 6th grade classrooms. I am hoping there is a sequel coming to this one. (It was a coincidence that I read it soon after I finished The Wild Robot but some good discussions could happen for kids who read both of these novels!)