3 New Nonfiction Books

I continue to look for nonfiction books that are interesting to students and that can be read cover to cover. I have watched over the years and have noticed that our students are great skimmers and scanners but often don't get beyond the skimming and scanning. This is true when reading nonfiction books as well as websites.  As web reading becomes even more important for our students, they need experience reading nonfiction beyond skimming.  When I stopped looking for nonfiction that matched the curriculum years ago, I was pleasantly surprised at how many great and interesting nonfiction books there are for kids.  This weekend, I picked up three at Cover to Cover and I love them all.

POLAR BEARS by Mark Newman is filled with great photos of polar bears. Each two-page spread focuses on one statement about polar bears. For instance, "Polar bears are patient." Following the bold print with the focus statement, a paragraph goes into more detail about this fact. Readers learn a lot about the polar bear and the length of text on each page is perfect for elementary students. This book seems like it would be a great read aloud for younger students. The pages can be read in order or based on interest.  Older students should be able to read this one on their own.

I DREAMED OF FLYING LIKE A BIRD by Robert B. Haas is a fascinating read. Robert Haas is an animal photograph but he takes his photos from the air.  The book's introduction shares the way that he takes photos and then he goes on to tell stories (with accompanying photos) of several of his adventures. The amount of text on each page is very accessible and the accompanying photos pull readers in.  The writing of each adventure is told as a story--as it happened so it keeps readers interested in how things will turn out. I think books are fascinating reads but also help kids see what is possible when they are passionate about something. All of the author's proceeds go to The Humane Society.

KAKAPO RESCUE:  SAVING THE WORLD'S STRANGEST PARROT by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop is my new favorite in this Scientists in the Field series.  I was thrilled to see that Nic Bishop was part of this book as I love all of his work. I knew nothing about the Kakapo until I read this book.  This unique parrot is one of the most endangered species in the world, with only 91 living Kakapo at the time this book was written.  This book is a fascinating look at the island where scientists are working to rebuild the Kakapo population. The island and its scientists are dedicated to this one cause.  The book shares the work done by the scientists and also shares interesting information about the Kakapo, New Zealand, and endangered animals in general.  This would make a great read aloud for upper elementary students.  I can't say enough about how much I love this series--it really allows readers to see the work of scientists in so many capacities.

Award Committees

Today is the finish line for a year of work for the readers on the Newbery and Caldecott committees.

The NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts committee is starting the final sprint towards our finish line in mid-February. We have 65 books for grades K-8 on our "top shelf" right now, and we've received +/- 250 nominees since the beginning of October that need to be read and evaluated.

You'll forgive me if I've been paying attention to this...

The charge of the seven-member national committee is to select thirty titles each year that best exemplify the criteria established for the Notables Award. Books considered for this annual list are works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for children, grades K-8. The books must meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. deal explicitly with language, such as plays on words, word origins, or the history of language;
2. demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style;
3. invite child response or participation.

In addition, books are to:

4. have an appealing format;
5. be of enduring quality;
6. meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written.

...rather than Newbery criteria and Caldecott illustrations.

But that doesn't mean I won't be anxiously awaiting today's news!!

Dentistry and Teaching

I had a little bit of oral surgery during our week off. I'm in awe of the surgeon's skill, efficiency and "chairside" manner. He knew exactly what to do and didn't waste a minute getting right down to his work. He documented every step with photos so that he would leave nothing to memory or guesswork. He told me what to expect in the week after surgery. My family dentist forwarded the pictures (I'll spare you) and the surgeon's report, which included phrases like, "pedunculated gingival lesion in the interproximal papilla." The surgeon never used language like that when he was talking to me.

What does all of this have to do with teaching 4th grade? Just that if my oral surgeon could watch me at work in my classroom, I hope that he would be equally impressed with my skill, efficiency, and "deskside" manner.

I hope he would appreciate the number of decisions I make and small teaching moments I experience in a day (or even an hour). Last week he could have seen me move from Italy's invasion of Albania in WWII to facts about omnivores to the Indiana Pacers to the life cycle of the koala during reading workshop. He could have seen me move from chemical reactions, to words in context in a read aloud, to compatible numbers in estimating division, to nonfiction text structures. All in the course of a day of teaching, all without missing a beat. (It was a good day!)

I hope he would appreciate the variety of ways I document my teaching and student learning. I, too, use photos, along with voice memos, video, charts on clipboards, sticky notes, and anchor charts on the SmartBoard and chart paper.

And I hope he would appreciate the lack of "education-ese" in the conference I had with a parent after school on Friday. (And the parallel between the way he worked me in to get that surgery done during break and the way I stayed late on a Friday so that the parent, student and I could get a fresh start next week.)

My gum is healing nicely -- the last of the stitches fell out yesterday. And now I need to go grade some papers and craft some lesson plans for the week ahead.

Poetry Friday: Winter Shadows Haiku

Winter shadows lean
and reach, stretch and yearn...for what?
Spring, of course. What else?


Irene has the roundup today at Live. Love. Explore!

Books I Hope Win Awards

There are so many great books from 2010, that I can't possibly choose the one book I hope to win the Caldecott and Newbery medals. This is a list of books I've loved that seem like contenders.  I'd be happy if any of these books won an award. They are all deserving.  There are others too but these are the ones that come to mind first.


Caldecott
Chalk
A Fabulous Fair Alphabet by Deborah Frasier
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
All Things Bright and Beautiful by Ashley Bryant
Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli
Mirror by Jeannie Baker
Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip Stead


Newbery
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Keeper by Kathi Appelt
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
Countdown by Deborah Wiles
The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder

Dublin Literacy Conference 2011

We LOVE the Dublin Literacy Conference. The conference is an annual one sponsored by Dublin City Schools (Ohio, not Ireland:-) and run by a committee of teachers. 2011 is our 22nd year and we host between 600 and 800 teachers each year. We have both been on the planning committee for as long as we can remember and the planning is almost as fun as the day itself. Most of our teachers come from around the Central Ohio area but we have been getting people from all over.  It is a great one-day event and we love it. It is a great day of learning and literacy.  If you are free and live close enough to drive, you should think about joining us!  (We have written lots about this conference over the last 5 years. You can read more in these posts.)

This year, the Dublin Literacy Conference will be held on Saturday, February 25.  It looks to be another great year and we are both so excited about our speakers. We typically host 4 featured professional authors and 4 featured children's authors. This year, the following speakers are part of our conference.  If you want to see more details, the printable program with registration information is on our district website. 

Professional Authors
Kelly Gallagher, author of READICIDE, DEEPER READING, TEACHING ADOLESCENT WRITERS and others.  Kelly will be our morning keynote. If you'd like to know more about his work, you can read a recent interview we did with him here.

Patrick Allen, author of CONFERRING: THE KEYSTONE OF THE READING WORKSHOP and PUT THINKING TO THE TEST will be another of our featured speakers.  Patrick also has an amazing blog about his teaching and learning life.

Troy Hicks' work focuses on the Digital Writing Workshop. His books (THE DIGITAL WRITING WORKSHOP and BECAUSE DIGITAL WRITING MATTERS) , blog posts, presentations and tweets have helped so many of us move forward in our thinking about this issue.

Christian Long is another speaker who has great insights into 21st Century Learning. His company Be Playful Designs focuses on school design and innovative environments.. He is a school planner, technology expert, and advocate for innovative communities and educators.

Children's Authors
Brian Pinkney is our afternoon keynote speaker.  His work includes so many powerful titles.  His newest book, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney is SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN.

Loren Long is an Ohio author and illustrator that we love. We first met him when he visited Columbus on the TRUCKTOWN tour with Jon Scieszka.  We have since fallen in love with OTIS, DRUMMER BOY and most recently, President Obama's picture book OF THEE I SING.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's work has been an inspiration to so many of us, especially her BECKONING THE LOVELY project. (If you have not watched the video, you must do it right now!). Her newest book is THE WONDER BOOK. Others include LITTLE HOOT, DUCK RABBIT, COOKIES: BITE SIZE LIFE LESSONS and BEDTIME FOR MOMMY.

Wendy Mass is another children's author that will be part of our conference. Her newest book CANDYMAKERS is quite fun and popular with middle grade/middle school children. As are all of her books. Those of you that read this blog may remember when I wanted to start a Wendy Mass fan club after reading JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE. 

On top of our amazing list of featured speakers, we run about 20+ concurrent sessions two times during the conference.  These sessions are put on by Dublin teachers as well as others who submit proposals. If you are blog readers, you will recognize lots of people from our local bloggers' group on the program.

Local Bloggers 
Cathy Mere (REFLECT AND REFINE) and Katie DiCesare (CREATIVE LITERACY) will be talking about "Picture Book Possibilities: Using Literature to Collaborate with Learners.

Mary Lee Hahn  will share ideas for "Promoting Reading Engagement In and Out of School"

Scott Sibberson (SCOTT SIBBERSON) will present on "Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers".

Mandy Robek (ENJOY AND EMBRACE LEARNING) session is titled, "Something Old, Something New"

Julie Johnson (RAISING READERS AND WRITERS) and colleagues will present "Count on Communication: Weaving Writing and Conversation into Your Math Class".

Maria Caplan (TEACHING IN THE 21st CENTURY) will be presenting with her school's Technology Specialist on "Integrating iPods and Technology into Your Classroom".

Bill Prosser and Karen Terlecky (LITERATE LIVES) "The Best and the Brightest Books of 2010".

Tony Keefer (ATYCHIPHOBIA) "Crafting Digital Picture Books".

and I will be talking about  "How Can Technology Tools Impact the Reading Workshop".

Add these to the amazing Dublin teachers who are sharing their learning, how can it not be an amazing day of learning. I wish I could hear everybody!

On top of the great speakers, they'll be lots of great books for sale, time for lunch and chatting with colleagues, a Technology Playground and student work on display.    What a great way to spend a Saturday. It is one of our favorite days of the year! We hope you can join us.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #7-#12

#7 They Called Themselves the K.K.K.
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Grim, but important in understanding Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and where our country is today in terms of race relations.

#8 Tortilla Sun
by Jennifer Cervantes

This book was a welcome relief after a string of tough reads. The characters and the setting come to life in this debut novel.

#9 The Serpent's Tale
by Ariana Franklin

It's cheating only a little to count this one as #bookaday -- it was an adult audiobook that I finished listening to on day 9, but I didn't read the whole thing on day 9. This is the second book in the first adult mystery series I've ever loved. Great strong medieval woman main character.

#10 Noonie's Masterpiece
by Lisa Railsback

Add Noonie to your list of favorite spunky girl characters -- she's right up there with Clementine and Frankly Frannie, and Gooney Bird Green.  She's an aspiring artist, and it's her art that helps her make it through some tough times.

#11 Vocabulary Unplugged
by Alana Morris

Maybe this book won't "revolutionize" how I teach vocabulary, but I sure did get some good ideas that I'm going to try out immediately.

#12 I Can Make a Difference
by Marian Wright Edelman

Great collection of quotes, poems, songs, folktales, and fables from around the world on 12 different themes that all illustrate that any person can, in lots of small ways, make a difference in the world.

#bookaday SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner

I read SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner as one of my #bookaday books.  I decided that I loved it so much that it deserved a post of its own.  I was surprised by how much I loved this book--the outdoors, the cold, a maple farm, competitive sports--none of these are in my list of favorite things.  But I think I maybe love them all now.  (Well, okay maybe not the outdoors in the cold...)

SUGAR AND ICE (An Amazon Best Book of the Month) is the story of Claire, a skater from a small town who is chosen to train at Lake Placid. She accepts the scholarship and begins training.  Claire is a good skater and does well but the training means that she has less time to do other things she loves--spending time with family, hanging out with good friends, skating on the pond, working with younger skaters, etc. She also has to learn to deal with the pressure of the training.  Although many of the other skaters become friends of Claire's, she has to learn to deal with the mean girls in the group--the girls who are threatened by her success. In the end, Claire has to decide what it is that she wants and how to fulfill her dream as a skater.

This book would provide for great conversations.  So many kids today have talents and opportunities and many give up some things they love to pursue others. I've taught grades 3-5 for most of my career and it seems that this is the age where kids either become more committed to a passion they have or they become burnt out.  It is an important age for deciding what is important.  Kate Messner understands this well and captures the struggle of a child in this type of situation well.

The characters are great (a requirement for any book I love).  Very believable characters with real gifts and real problems.

I am trying to decide whether Claire's coach belongs on our 100+ Cool Teachers in Children's Literature list.  My gut is that he does. He takes kids with a natural talent and passion and helps them move forward. He is intense and isn't always about the whole person, but there is something about the way he watches and listens and knows where to go next with a skater that makes me think he belongs. He builds a confidence by helping skaters at what they need individually.   I need someone else's opinion first, though!

Love this book and I think it would be a great book club book. It provides so much to talk about when it comes to following dreams, giving up one thing to make time for another, things worth working for, etc. I think kids would naturally find so many issues that they deal with on a daily basis in this book. This is definitely a perfect middle grade book.

This is the second book I have read by Kate Messner (Marty McGuire was the first) and I am anxious to read more.  I have THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. on my TBR stack and am also anxious to read her upcoming professional book on revision being published by Stenhouse.    And she is a middle school language arts teacher! (Yes, I know, I too am wondering how she does it all...)I so love when I discover a new author I love who has lots of upcoming books!  Really, what could be better?

Happy Birthday to Us!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Year of Reading is FIVE YEARS OLD today! We thought we'd share a few sets of "fives" with you to celebrate this half-decade landmark!

TOP 5 (ish) POSTS FROM 2010!

Thank You, Jon Scieszka!

Creating Reading Challenges for Ourselves

Predicting the Caldecott and Newbery Winners 2010

KidLitCon -- Real Or Imagined?

Poem #25--A One-Word Poem
ties with
100 Things About Me as a Reader

5 TRIVIA QUESTIONS ABOUT A YEAR OF READING


Who did we interview for A Year of Reading's first author interview?
CLICK HERE for the answer

From which blogger did we get the idea for 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature?
CLICK HERE for the answer

When did we expand our social network from just blogging to blogging AND Twitter?
CLICK HERE for the answer

In which year did we have the most blog posts?
ANSWER:  In 2007, we had 423 blog posts! A record for us since we average in the high 300s.
Our highest month was January 2007 with 55 posts!

How many Poetry Friday posts are on A Year of Reading?
ANSWER: 186!

5 (ish) PEOPLE WHO INSPIRED OUR LEARNING IN 2010

(this is in addition to our local community of bloggers/friends/colleagues from whom we learn on a regular basis)

Franki

1-Donalyn Miller(@donalynbooks), Teri Lesesne (@ProfessorNana) and Paul Hankins (@PaulWHankins) inspired me to read more and to remember how much I love YA.  (Plus they have entertained me immensely with their humor, wit and brilliance:-)

2-Chris Lehmann's blogs and online talks have kept me grounded in my beliefs about students and learning. 

3-I was lucky enough to hear Adora Svitak and Zoe Sprankle at BLC 10. Take some time to watch their TED Talks when you can.  Very inspiring speakers.

4-Bud the Teacher continues to connect technology to solid learning theory and I continue to learn so much from his work.

5-Buffy Hamilton (@bufffyjhamilton) shares her brilliant thinking on blog and via Twitter. Her work has helped me to create a vision for our library. 

Mary Lee

1-Amy LV inspires me every day with her amazing year-long poem-a-day project!
2-Brenda Power inspires me with her fabulous weekly essays on Choice Literacy and her incredible generosity!
3-Audible.com inspires me to keep up with my adult reading!
4-Diigo and Delicious inspire me to keep track of my links!
5-Foodspotting inspires me to share the joy of good food!

5 BOOKS FROM 2010 THAT WILL LIVE WITH US FOR A WHILE

Franki

The Third Teacher

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Before I Fall by Lauren Olier

In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray

Mary Lee
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet by David Mitchell

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Traveling Through the Dark by William Stafford

5 NEW BLOGS WE FOLLOW

One of the things we love most about blogging is that we find new blogs to learn from every day. We have discovered many new blogs this year. Here are just a few (5 :-) new blogs we began following in 2010.

Franki

The Daring Librarian 

Fed Up With School Lunch

Teaching in the 21st Century

Laura's Life

Family Blogs--My Husband's Blog and My Daughter's Blog

Mary Lee

AM Literacy Learning Log
thxthxthx
1000 Awesome Things
Hyperbole and a Half
Joy to the World

Things I Am Thinking About as the New Year Begins

Photo by c r i s via Flickr

I usually write resolutions.  I start the year with big plans. When I look back, I am not sure that my resolutions help me meet goals.  This year, I am not making resolutions but I am thinking about things I'd like to do better.

1.  I've been working a ton this year. Between my regular job, the travel that I do with consulting, writing and coursework I've taken for my library certification, it feels like working is the only thing I've done in 2010. I have learned a ton and I love the work and the people I've worked with in 2010, but I am hoping to have a more balanced year.  I have done better at scheduling travel, completed my library coursework for the school year and been more organized about school and home work lately. So, I am hoping to still work lots but to leave more time to for other things. I am never a person who is balanced on a daily basis. But I hope to be balanced over time--making time for more than just work.

2. Because of the work thing, I feel like I've had an unhealthy year. Not exercising, eating poorly, just not being balanced in general.  So I joined The FIT42 Challenge started by Twitter friend TEACH42 as part of that plan. I'd love to lose lots of weight, but more importantly, I really want to put healthy habits back into my lifestyle.  I can already tell that this community will be a good one.  I want to make more time to grocery shop and cook healthier meals. (Actually, Scott cooks almost every meal so I'd like to help a bit more with that too:-)  I'd also like to get an exercise routine going. I love to exercise when I am in shape but it is so hard to get back to any type of "in shape" that I hate the beginnings. After a year of weight gain and almost no exercise, I am pretty sure this will be no fun for a while. I've tried to organize piles, work, and home to really focus on building exercise into my routine 5-6 days a week in January. I am hoping that by March, I enjoy it a little bit again:-)

3.  I want to read more. Because of my coursework and writing, I don't feel like I've read as much as I like. One of the things I've learned about being a K-5 librarian is that it is nearly impossible to keep up with reading. When I was in the classroom, I found myself reading for those 25 kids--reading and sharing books with kids or read aloud or something in mind. Now, I feel like I have to read every book that might work for one of the 420 kids or 50 teachers at our school. Thanks to Twitter friends @donalynbooks, @ProfessorNana and @PaulWHankins, I feel like I am reading more. Listening in on their conversations, hearing about great books, and joining in #bookaday has helped me jump back to reading lots and I now love my TBR pile (for a while, it seemed like a chore.) Attending ALAN helped me remember how much I love YA. I don't have a huge amount of time to read YA, but after reading BEFORE I FALL and MATCHED, I intend to make a bit more time for YA this year.

I've always been amazed at how much people read. (Mary Lee and I have talked about this for years since I have always been amazed by how much time she makes for reading.)  I am not sure these people sleep. And now, after hearing that @MrSchuReads read 1700 books, I am inspired to not only read more, but to do a better job of tracking my reading.  I have not been good about logging my reading lately and I've never kept track of picture books, etc. but I am going to work to figure out a way to do that.

4.Every year, I organize my book room. I used to call it my office, but I don't often work in there. I store books, look for books, find books, etc.  During vacation, as I do every year, I pulled it back together a bit.  It is still packed and books are still taking over my life, but I passed some boxes of books along. I get lots of review books and many that don't match the age group I read for. So, thanks to Donalyn Miller who inspired me, I sent along books I couldn't use--sent them to people who could use them. I hate to part with great books, But to send them along to those who could use them was a great way to make room for new books. Hopefully, I'll do this more than once a year from now on.

5. Near the end of the NCTE Convention this year, someone asked me for a pen. I had a hard time finding one.  It wasn't until that point of convention that I realized how paperless I had gone at convention this year. I bought a new purse that perfectly fit my iPad and used EVERNOTE and my iPad iPhone for any recording I needed. I still needed the paper program (not sure I could do without that!) but I came home inspired to go a bit more paperless in life. I get about 10 magazines each month. Some months I read them, some months I don't.  So I decided not to reorder and to try to do more of my reading on the iPad. Although I'll always read children's novels in print form so I can share them with kids, I downloaded the Kindle App to my ipad so I can read more that way. (I also have a Kindle).  I just started using FLIPBOARD and am loving it as a reading tool. It makes my Google Reader and my Twitter links so much easier to read and navigate. So, I am going to change my reading habits just a bit and try to keep track of what I read beyond books in some way. Go a little more paperless here and there without spending much time looking for new tools and apps that I love.  Just really using the ones I know well.

6. Lotion.  I need to do a better job with lotion and vitamins  things that I seem to need more of as I get older.  Habits I am not so good at. I usually am so tired by the time I go up to sleep, that I don't have good, healthy routines--don't make time for taking care of myself.  This all goes back to working too hard --no, not too hard, too much. I work on something until I can hardly keep my eyes open. I am going to try to wind down a bit this year to give myself some time between work and sleep.

So, the big thing I am thinking is this--I am amazed at how other people do all of this. I read blogs and follow people on Twitter who read a bazillion books, do great things at their job, write regularly, go on fun excursions with their families and somehow have time to share their daily 10 mile run via RunKeeper or some other tool.  I would love to know how it is that people get all of these things done. Maybe they do not need sleep, I'm not sure.  In the ideal world of 2011, I'd love to have balance. I love my life and everything that is part of it but it doesn't often feel balanced. I don't always make time for enough of the things I should make time for.  So, I am going to try that.  To do more of the things above and spend just a little less time working.  My problem has always been that I love my work and it is far more fun than exercising or putting on lotion or cooking healthy meals. But I am going to try to do more of that this year. ( I know that one way to do this is to play less Bejeweled Blitz but I don't think I can do that.  It is my daily fun and I hate to give that up so I'm hoping I can do some of this without giving that up completely!)

So, although these are not resolutions, this is my thinking as I go into 2011.  Spending some time and energy to get back to living a healthier, more balanced life. Not big changes, but a few little shifts here and there to build healthier routines.

Happy New Year!

Cybils 2010 Short Lists!!

Check it out HERE or here:

Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books

Fantasy & Sci Fi (MG)

Fantasy & Sci Fi (YA)

Fiction Picture Books

Graphic Novels (MG)

Graphic Novels (YA)

Middle Grade Novels

Nonfiction (MG/YA)

Nonfiction Picture Books

Poetry

Young Adult Novels



THANK YOU, PANELISTS, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND FABULOUS CHOICES!!

The Cybils are 5 years old this year.  Hmmm...hold that thought until tomorrow...

Poetry Friday and December Mosaic

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Blink
I'm 50
Blink
My 4th/5th grade student is 21

Blink
The towers are built, the cookies are decorated
Blink
Towers and cookies are destroyed, eaten, forgotten

Blink
The sun makes a certain light across snow, through trees
Blink
Another day is here

Blink
Keep looking, keep seeing, keep wondering
Blink
The wonders of the world await your watchful eyes


My 365 Photos for 2010 are here.


The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol's Corner today.


If you are a member of the Kidlitosphere Yahoo Group, the html code for a Jan-June Poetry Friday Roundup Hosts gadget in your sidebar is in the "files" area. If you aren't a member or can't find it, just drop me a line (mlhahn at earthlink dot net) and I'll send it to you.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #5, #6

The War To End All Wars
by Russell Freedman
Clarion Books, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

Forge
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Atheneum, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher


#bookaday #3 (Sugar Changed the World), #5 and #6 have me thinking hard about myself as a nonfiction reader. I loved Sugar Changed the World, and hungrily read every word of the book. Okay, maybe "hungrily" is an adverb better used to describe how I ate the cinnamon rolls in the picture, and not so much how I read the book, but my point here is that I didn't read The War To End All Wars with that kind of eagerness. Truth be told, I mostly skimmed it. But why? Lack of background knowledge? I had about the same amount for Sugar. The chronological format? Maybe. The Red Flags of Textbook Reading may have been raised in my brain by the chronological telling in the first part of the book and I was not able to recover control when Freedman switched to topical chapters. However, I think what made the difference for Sugar Changed the World was that Aronson and Budhos worked so hard to link their information to the stories of real people -- first to their own family stories, but then to the stories of real people. Yes, yes, The War TEAW is filled with Real People, filled to the bursting with every important name of every important player in the whole shebang. And that's the difference. Names vs. Stories. And that seems to be the difference for me as a reader. I happily dug into Revolutionary War history with Laurie Halse Anderson's FORGE: Story.

On a separate note, as I look for big themes that connect my #bookaday reading, I notice that I have read two books that describe total train wrecks: Keeper and The WTEAW. I yelled (inside my head) at Kathi Appelt all the way through Keeper as disaster led to disaster, but I couldn't put the book down knowing that resolution of some kind would come by the end of the novel. Reading about how assassinations and misunderstandings and messages delivered too late resulted in the development and use of weapons of mass slaughter and the paving of the way towards the jittery ("Current Terror Level: Yellow/Orange") way we live now, was hard. Really hard. So maybe that's why we need Freedman's book now more than ever -- there's not just one author who can turn around this story of our country's/world's destiny. We all need to study what did and didn't work in the past and find a better path toward the future.

I was going to take a day off the heavy stuff today and read something a little bit lighter, but after writing the words in that last paragraph, I'm thinking I'll go ahead with my plan.  Next up for #bookaday #7 -- THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE KKK.

#bookaday--Franki at the Halfway Point

I am LOVING #bookaday started by @donalynbooks. Whether you are participating in the holiday version of #bookaday or not, following the #bookaday hashtag on twitter will give you lots of great books to add to your TBR pile.

We are on Day 6 of vacation and I have read 8 fabulous books! I thought I'd share these quickly before I move on to the 2nd half of the event. I am all about characters and read completely for character. I have to love the characters to love the book and you will notice that I love all of the new characters I've read about. Most of my #bookaday reading has focused on middle grade novels. I find that no matter how much I read, I can never keep up with all of the great books coming out for our 3rd through 6th graders. They are the readers I have always been most interested in and it has been nice to make time to catch up on some of the books I've been wanting to read. I am anxious to share them all with students when we get back to school.

PENNY DREADFUL by Laurel Snyder was my first #bookaday read and it was a great one. I loved the the characters. This felt a little like Polly Horvath but also a little like some of my favorite books from childhood--A LITTLE PRINCESS, THE SECRET GARDEN, etc. It is a quirky,upbeat kind of book with some unique characters. This is probably a book I'll share with 4th and 5th graders.A great fun book all around.

I was very excited to get an ARC of MARTY MCGUIRE by Kate Messner. This is the first in a series due out in May of 2011. I am always looking for great new books for kids newer to chapter books and Marty McGuire is a great book for those readers. Again, I love this character in this book. This is a great read for kids who love Judy Moody, Clementine, Roscoe Riley, etc. The story is told in first person by Marty and she is a character you love almost instantly. She is a spunky girl who knows how to solve a problem and be herself. I am looking forward to more Marty McGuire books!

There are not many books that would make great reads for ages 6-12, but I think LULU AND THE BRONTOSAURUS would be a great read aloud for grades 1-5. Kids of all ages will love this book. Mary Lee reviewed the book and I immediately moved it to the top of my pile. Judith Viorst is brilliant as always, and a fun feature of the book is the way that she chats with the reader throughout the story.

I am a huge fan of James Preller and finally had a chance to read his book BYSTANDER. This is a book about middle school and bullying. The storyline and the characters are believable and this would make a great choice for a book club or read aloud. The book provides lots to talk about in terms of how kids treat each other and how they handle difficult situations. James Preller has a good handle on this age group and that is important for this story.

A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park was a very powerful read. I hadn't realized before I started that this story, about the lost boys of Sudan, was mostly true. I think it is hard to write about hard topics in a way that is accessible to middle grade and middle school readers but this book is done perfectly for this age. The two stories that Park tells come together brilliantly and the difficulty is clear. This is a book that will live with me for a long time and I think it would make an amazing read aloud for 5th or 6th grade.

I discovered Lauren Oliver, a great new YA author in early December. I received BEFORE I FALL in my ALAN box and read it in early December. Oliver has a new book coming out in February called DELIRIUM and I was able to borrow an ARC. I forgot how much I love YA and am thrilled to have discovered Lauren Oliver. DELERIUM tells the story of a society who has figured out a way to cure people from love. An interesting concept and great characters. Looking forward to reading everything that Oliver writes in the future. I don't have much time to read YA Lit but will make time to read anything that she writes.

THE RABBIT PROBLEM is a picture book by Emily Gravett. I love Emily Gravett and am not sure how I missed this book. This is a fun picture book around the Fibonacci problem posed hundreds of years ago. The book is set up in calendar form and Gravett includes many unique features and great humor as always.

I love every book by Lisa Graff so was thrilled to have some time to read SOPHIE SIMON SOLVES THEM ALL. This is a bit of a different book for Graff--meant for a bit of a younger audience. Sophie Simon is another character I love and the story is a great one for 3rd-4th grade readers. I haven't heard that this will become a series, but it would be great news if it did!

I love every book that I've read and recommend every one of them. I am so loving #bookaday! I am already looking forward to participating in Summer #bookaday.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #4

Keeper
by Kathi Appelt
Atheneum, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

I want to reread this book right now.

How'd she do that? How did she layer the story like onionskin paper? Weave the story like pink ribbons? Make me care so deeply about Keeper and her people and her animals? Make me keep turning the pages of a train wreck of a story? Make me believe in mermaids? (I believe, I believe, whatever it takes to save Keeper and BD and to unite Signe and Dogie, whatever it takes to reunite Mr. Beauchamp and Jack, I BELIEVE!!!)



A review in threes by Travis at 100 Scope Notes (and links to other reviews).
An interview at The Brain Lair with Kathi Appelt that gives insight into the "props" in Keeper.

Today's #bookaday, for a total change of pace: THE WAR TO END ALL WARS. I think I'll follow it with FORGE on Wednesday.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #2, #3

Half Upon a Time
by James Riley
Aladdin, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

This is my new favorite fractured fairy tale novel/series. Jack's (of the beanstalk) son meets a "princess" from the "real world" when she falls through a blue circle of fire that appears in midair. After that, it is nonstop Huntsmen, magic items, fairy tale characters (and even a Fairy who makes a nest in May's hair, and who does not have a tail, as Jack keeps pointing out to May).

I found this quiet moment in the middle of the book:

"These are challenges," Jack told her. "That's it. We are going to win. You know why? Because it doesn't matter if you're in a fairy tale or here in real life, doing the right thing still counts for something. We're going to win because we're good, decent people trying to accomplish something noble."

(Is it okay if I make a big poster of that quote for the teachers' lounge wall?)

But mostly the book is a quick-moving, adventure-filled page-turner with some pretty funny dialogue:

"Uh-oh," May said, backing away from the Mirror.
"That pretty much covers it, Jack agreed, yanking her back more quickly.

Sugar Changed the World
by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Clarion Books, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher

This is a fascinating story that spans the globe, the entire spectrum of humanity (slavery --> freedom), and several Ages of Man (The Age of Honey --> The Age of Science). It is a story that connects the families of the co-authors, a husband and wife team with ancestors that come from Russia and beet sugar on the one side, and the Caribbean and cane sugar and cheap labor for the cane plantations from India on the other side. India, where the first written record of sugar (from 1000 or so years BC) is found:

"The word for 'a piece of sugar' in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit is khanda, which, as it passed through Persian to Arabic to Europe, became candy."

This book encourages teachers to trust the ability of middle and high school students to grapple with the big ideas of slavery and freedom that are presented in this book. If you're going to think about the history of sugar and the labor that produced it, you'll also wind up thinking about the current overseas sweatshops that produce the cheap clothing we buy in our U.S. stores, and the U.S. government's immigration and citizenship laws that keep Mexican families who provide cheap labor from becoming U.S. citizens. And sugar consumption. And current trends towards obesity.

The book has multiple timelines in the back matter: A Master Timeline of Sugar in World History, plus timelines for England and Sugar; France, Sugar, Slavery; Haiti; British North America -- United States; and the Age of Science. There is a page of links to the more than 70 images in the book, as well as slave music and videos of slave dances at Sugar Changed the World. Aronson encourages teachers with SmartBoards to use these images, and also students looking for images for their own reports. "A book is one product of a research journey, but there is not reason why it should be the only one."

It seemed a little ironic to read this book on Christmas Day while I ate cinnamon rolls and lounged on the couch with my stocking full of candy...

...but I can't think too hard about that because I need to grab a plate of Christmas cookies to nibble for breakfast while I get started on #bookaday #4: KEEPER by Kathi Appelt.

Christmas Eve Poetry Friday Is Here!

A CHRISTMAS EVE WISH FOR YOU

May the lights be twinkley and bright,

cheerful and wish-upon-able.

May the treats be made,
given,
ample,
(and sampled).

May the day be filled with
all that you love,
all whom you love,
all kinds of wonder and joy,

and an abundance of poetry!

Schedule change reminder: Next week we'll be celebrating New Year's Eve with Carol at Carol's Corner.

Diane is in first with her trifecta of offerings: "Shoplifting Poetry" at Random Noodling, a Poetry Friday quote at Kurious K's Kwotes, and "The Donkey's Song" from Jane Yolen's HARK! A CHRISTMAS SAMPLER at Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet.

Sally considers the bittersweet side of Christmas memories with a Victorian poem at The Write Sisters.

Amy (nice hat!) has poem #30 in her Friday series of poems about poems at The Poem Farm. (It's #269 in her poem-a-day challenge that she's kept since last April!)

Tabatha has a poetic tribute to Atlas at The Opposite of Indifference. And you thought the weight of the world was heavy on your shoulders...

Laura Shovan found the picture book that tells the family story behind Clement Moore's "A Night Before Christmas."  Perfect timing! Check it out at Author Amok.

Laura Salas sends us a holiday greeting in haiku at Writing the World for Kids, and also the week's 15 Words or Less Poems, inspired by "metal mountains."

Madigan reviews UBIQUITOUS at Madigan Reads.

Sally shares a Christmas carol at Castle in the Sea.

Elaine has a Christmas memoir poem at Wild Rose Reader and more Christmas memories at Wild Rose Reader.

Andromeda blesses us with some Rumi, a question to ponder, and a beautiful photo at a wrung sponge.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Carol for sharing two FABULOUS versions of the Hallelujah Chorus with us today. They both bring tears to my eyes -- the Holy brought down to Earth in the most unlikely but most Human of all places. The message of the day is at Carol's Corner (and follow the link to Cynthia Lord's place).

An e.e. cummings Christmas Eve greeting comes to us from Jules at 7-Imp.

We've got another carol of the season from Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town -- the original words to Hark the Herald, Angels Sing. Within this poem is Ruth's wish for Haiti this season.

Blythe has a star, a tree, a moon, the Solstice and a wish for the season at her place.

Jone shares an original shadorma at Check it Out.

Shari at Shari Doyle reviews Jane Yolen's Snow, Snow, and a great montage of holiday pictures, complete with cookies and cats!

Head over to Live. Love. Explore! where Irene has a vlog of a Christmas poem from her new book.

Jennie at Biblio File has got the birth of every blessed child on her mind in this season of birth and new beginnings. Sounds like there will be a new baby in her house come summer solstice! Congrats, Jennie!

Shelley's ongoing tale of "poems about the old days" -- the Dust Bowl days -- can be found at Rain: A Dust Bowl Story.

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile #1

It's already a good first day of break -- I've finished my first #bookaday and I haven't even had a plate of Christmas cookies for breakfast yet!

I have to warn you that this review is going to be a little weird. First of all, because the book was (more than a little) weird, but also because this is one of those books where you can't help yourself, it's like being around people with a Texan or Swedish accent and all of a sudden you start talking with that accent yourself. This is all to say that my writing has been infected by M.T. Anderson's in

Agent Q, or the Smell of Danger (Pals in Peril series)
by M.T. Anderson
illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
Simon and Schuster (Beach Lane Books), 2010
review copy provided by the publisher (and an extra bit of thanks for WHALES ON STILTS -- I fell head over heels in love after reading two chapters, took it to school and read those two chapters to my fourth graders, and wound up sending home 6 books from the series (checked out from the well-stocked public library branch near my home [YAY, LIBRARY!] with readers who appreciate irony and humor to enjoy during the winter break))


Don't you think? (seriously infected writing style, in case you lost my original train of thought)

So, since it would be impossible to explain the plot of this book, which, I think, is part of the point of these books, let it suffice to say that the cover illustration gives a pretty good idea of the pace of the plot and some of its details. One thing you can't tell from the picture is that those are sentient lobsters. Yes, this is the kind of book that has sentient lobsters in it. And monks from a time in the history of Delaware (not the Delaware with which you're familiar) when there has been an embargo on vowels. And rivers in Delaware that conceal giant amoebas (which allows for a diagram of an Amoeba proteus supergiganticus labeled helpfully with front, back, inside, outside, and pie hole). And chase scenes through the sewers of Wilmington. (It's a spy thriller, you see.)

As I go through all the pages I have tabbed down, places where I laughed out loud (the restaurant named the Friar Tuck-In; the monks who don't mind endless songs like "The Song That Never Ends" because it's kind of like their chanting, anyway; the defense of librarians on page 150 [you might need to look that one up and read it yourself]; the spy-based reality television show at the end...) I realize there's nothing for it except to say,

READ IT YOURSELF!
and
WHAT IS IT WITH M.T. ANDERSON AND THE STATE OF DELAWARE???? (partial answers might or might not be found at this amazing website)

Happy #bookaday! I'm off to eat that plate of Christmas cookies for breakfast!

Lulu and the Brontosaurus

Lulu and the Brontosaurus
by Judith Viorst
illustrated by Lane Smith
Simon and Schuster/Atheneum Books, 2010
review copy provided by the publisher


Publishers Weekly didn't like this book too much, but I'd venture to say that they didn't read it aloud to a roomful of living, breathing children! If they didn't read it aloud, they have no idea how infectious Lulu's song is, or how much fun the chatty narrator is.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The audience at hand (4th graders) was hooked on the first paragraph of chapter one: "There once was a girl named Lulu and she was a pain. She wasn't a pain in the elbow. She wasn't a pain in the knee. She was a pain -- a very big pain -- in the b u t t ." And she is -- Lulu gets whatever she wants by screeching until the lightbulbs break. However, when she wishes for a brontosaurus for a pet, her parents refuse.  For 12 days they refuse, until finally Lulu packs her suitcase and goes to get a brontosaurus for herself, singing,

"I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna gonna get

A bronto-bronto-bronto

brontosaurus for a pet."

Lulu bullies her way through the forest, dispatching a snake, a tiger, and a bear, until she finds her brontosaurus. But lo and behold, Mr. B refuses to be her pet. He wants Lulu for HIS pet! Mr. B is so kind and nice and polite and patient in his refusal to let Lulu go and his insistence that she will be his pet, that Lulu stops screeching and starts asking nicely. She even uses the "P" word. (please) 

But has she really changed? You decide -- think about how she runs away from Mr. B at her first opportunity.  But think about how she mends her relationship with the snake, the tiger and the bear. And think about each of the three alternative endings -- which one is too sour, which one is too sweet, and which one is just about the way life really works, give or take the part about the brontosaurus?

This is a very fun read aloud. Very fun. To the reader of our blog who recently asked for chapter books to read aloud to Kindergarten -- this one receives my endorsement! And I heartily recommend that it be read aloud to first, second, third, fourth and fifth graders, too!   

other reviews:  Creative Literacy, Kids Lit, Brimful Curiosities

the public library says its subjects are: Behavior -- Juvenile fiction., Apatosaurus -- Juvenile fiction., Pets -- Juvenile fiction., Birthdays -- Juvenile fiction.

Happy Holidays!

Here's our traditional holiday greeting. Regular readers of A Year of Reading are waiting on the edge of their seats for this (or so we're told)...

Enjoy!

#bookaday -- Mary Lee's Pile

Half Upon a Time by James Riley
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Keeper by Kathi Appelt
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
Pals in Peril: Agent Q or The Smell of Danger by M.T. Anderson
Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes
Noonie's Masterpiece by Lisa Railsback
Trash by Andy Mulligan
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
They Called Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson
The War to End All Wars by Russell Freedman

12 days of vacation...12 books to read...beginning Thursday. (Who voted for this calendar, anyway?)
Stay tuned for daily updates....beginning Thursday.
Fluff the pillows on the couch, bring over the fuzzy throw, get my mug ready for tea...ready for Thursday.