100 Cool Teachers

Here's the original invitation to nominate your favorite teacher(s) in Children's Literature.

The eighty-four we have so far are listed in the sidebar on the right, and much of the conversation about those took place in July.

We can't wait to hear who you'll nominate!

Sister Basil won't make our list

I have finished three of the four books that were on the top of my pile: VICTORY, THE LOUD SILENCE OF FRANCINE GREEN, and WEEDFLOWER.

No cool teachers in any of them, least of all in FRANCINE GREEN (Sister Basil borders on evil)...although Sister Pete might be nominated for a list of cool librarians, even though her library itself seems woefully limited.

I'm intrigued by the similarities in these three books. In each, there are two perspectives or two stories that sometimes balance each other (Francine and Sophie), sometimes serve as a contrast to the other (Sumiko and Frank), and sometimes merge and blend and become one (Molly and Sam).

They are all three historical fiction, which is often a hard-sell to young readers. I think kids would be most likely to read FRANCINE GREEN (1950's California, a world at least vaguely familiar from TV and movies), not at all interested in VICTORY (1800's naval history, Admiral Lord Nelson, Battle of Trafalgar) in spite of the parallel story of the modern girl homesick for England and learning to adjust to her mother's remarriage, and unwilling to even open WEEDFLOWER because of the uninspired title and the cover that doesn't match the book in any way, shape, or form (except maybe the blurry barbed wire).

All three could, should, and hopefully will cause some discomfort and questioning by readers. Of the kidnapping of men and boys by the press gangs who "recruited" for the Royal British Navy in VICTORY, I hope there will be at least a, "Did they really DO that?" or a, "Isn't that a bit like the involuntary draft in the U.S.?" In FRANCINE GREEN, (so many...where to start...), "Did the nuns really DO that?", "Did the government really DO that (Red Scare)?", "Isn't that (fear of communism) a bit like today's fear of 'terrorists'?" And in WEEDFLOWER, of the interment of the Japanese during WWII and of the Native Americans on reservations, "Did our government really DO that?", and "Why was that allowed to happen...and could it happen again?"

Along with the discomfort and questioning, all three have strong main characters who find a way to take a stand, whether by completing a circle, crossing a line, or breaking a silence.

All in all, three books I liked a lot, both jointly and separately. Not sure any will make it to the top of the Newbery pile. Still looking...

Poetry Friday--Confessions of A Reader

This is one of my favorite poems. It was written by a teacher. I found it years ago in a professional book. Enjoy!

Confessions of a Reader

Almost spring.
A spider
Stakes a claim
On a corner
Of the eight-foot window
In our living room.

Each morning
I admire
Taut guidelines,
Carefully placed spokes,
Dancing gown threads,
Architecture unrivalled.

My mother
Would not tolerate
Such slovenly housekeeping.
She would get a broom
And knock down
This errant squatter's palace.

I do not.

I am waiting for Charlotte
To leave a message.



By
Carol Wilcox
From All That Matters: What We Value in School and Beyond edited by Linda Rief and Maureen Barbieri
Heinemann, 1995

What all this heat is good for

I finished A FINE BALANCE. A fine balance between hope and despair, between humor and gut-wrenching violence and sadness, between the Beggarmaster and the beggars, between casual and deliberate choices, between debit and credit. "Let me tell you a secret: there is no such thing as an uninteresting life." (p.593)

After I pulled my head out of the book, I looked around the house. This led to Swiffering up the drifts of dog and cat hair instead of vacuuming (too hot), which left enough time for the luxury of exercising in an airconditioned health club.

Working out on the machines instead of swimming laps allowed me to begin to get caught up on NPR podcasts that have piled up, namely the Radio Expeditions series.

And THAT led to a story about Ecuadoran tree hoppers who remind me greatly of bloggers: creatures whose conversations cannot be detected without the proper equipment, who are evolving a system of social communication that is going on almost all the time.

I'm not going to quit trying

OK, Shannon, here is my case study.

Case study #1

Situation: Young girl lives in a home devoid of books, but full to the brim of movies and flat screen TVs. The shelves in her room are filled with VHS tapes by the time she's ready to start school. She has this aunt who can't stand the thought of a child growing up without trips to the library, and books to fill her imagination. So the niece gets books every birthday and Christmas, and sometimes in between. The niece and her aunt go to the library together often, and the niece learns the joys of the look-up computer, the nice librarians, exploring her passions, and checking out the same books over and over. Then the young girl hits fourth grade, and her school uses Accelerated Reader. Reading is for tests and points, nothing is read that doesn't "count," library visits fall off. The birthday books this year were CHASING VERMEER and THE FAIRY TALE DETECTIVES. On a recent road trip, niece and aunt listened to the audio version of CHASING VERMEER for about 10 minutes, and then the niece was fast asleep.

Result: Final outcome for niece: unknown. Current status of the aunt: I'm not going to quit trying.

(And just FYI, no link will be provided for Accelerated Reader. If you want to go there and find out what they think they are and what they think they do, you can type it in your browser yourself.)

(OOOoooh. I think we hit a nerve!)

My July Reading

We were having so much fun trying to think of 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Lit that we almost forgot that we were supposed to be reading! So, I am going to review my month's reading. All in one post. I have read lots that I like. My favorite new book this month is THE THE PRICE OF PRIVILEGE: HOW PARENTAL PRESSURE AND MATERIAL ADVANTAGE ARE CREATING A GENERATION OF DISCONNECTED AN UNHAPPY KIDS by Madeline Levine. I picked it up on the new nonfiction table. It is a fascinating read about raising children in affluent communities. It was written by a mother in one of these communities so it is very respectful of the kids and the parents who are raising them. I didn't realize how at risk our kids are. This book gathers the research. Definitely a worthwhile read and one I would recommend to help understand our kids today. It helped me see the pressures they are under and ways to be more supportive as an adult in the community. Definitely one of the best books I've read in a while.

I already talked about STUDY DRIVEN by Katie Wood Ray. My current favorite professional book for teachers. Loved it! I have recommended it to lots of friends. It will hopefully get us back to a true writing workshop in schools.

I also read THE YEAR OF THE DOG by Grace Lin. Actually, this may be my number one pick for the Newbery as of today. I thought it was a great story. Her writing reminded me lots of Sharon Creech who is one of my all-time favorite authors. Lin creates a great character and has life stories from her parents sprinkled throughout the text. One of my current favorites by far. The characters have stayed with me and the writing was great. This is on several Mock Newbery lists now so hopefully, it has a shot at the prize! (By the way, I have heard that she is an incredible author visit in elementary schools for anyone looking for a good author!)

PHINEAS L. MACGUIRE...ERUPTS!: THE FIRST EXPERIMENT (FROM THE HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC NOTEBOOKS OF PHINEAS L. MACGUIRE) by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a fun book--light, but with great characters. I am looking for something like this for my first read aloud. I love this author so I usually try to read anything that she writes. This isn't my favorite of hers but it is meant for a different audience. It is a lighter read than others she has written. But, she is able to create great characters and a plot that will appeal to middle-elementary kids. It looks like it might be the first book in a series. This would be a great new series!

Speaking of new series books, I also read IVY AND BEAN by Annie Barrows. I am always on the lookout for new series books for my transitional readers. This is a fun new series that I'll keep in my classroom. I am looking forward to the second in the series which is due out this fall.

I am not having great luck finding a great adult read. Any suggestions out there? I am anxiously awaiting Anna Quindlen's new novel but would love to read something great before that one is available. I have started a few that I picked up but none of them have hooked me.

Back to the original mission

Time to talk about all the new kids' books we're reading that might be potential Newbery winners. Only problem is that my current read, for my adult book club, is A FINE BALANCE (600 pages), and even pushing for 100 pages a day, it will still be three days before I finish. Great book, though. I'm learning more about India (1947-1975) than I could have imagined. And the narrative style of Rohinton Mistry is amazing -- I love the way he loops off on side tangents or back into a character's past to give the story its depth and breadth.

So that leaves us with my to-read pile. Before starting A FINE BALANCE, I finished AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR (Katherine Sturtevant) so that I could decide if I want to read A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE. I do. What fun to find such a passionate reader and writer who lives in 1677.

I'm also looking forward to THE LOUD SILENCE OF FRANCINE GREEN. Fuse #8 and Bookshelves of Doom have already reviewed it, but I will wait to read their reviews until I've read it. It's by Karen Cushman. Gotta be good!

VICTORY, by Susan Cooper is next on the pile. Once again, Fuse #8 is ahead of the pack with her review. And once again, I'll wait.

I really didn't like KIRA-KIRA, so Cynthia Kadohata's WEEDFLOWER is down lower in the pile. Couple of reviews to read after I get around to reading the book: Fuse #8, and MotherReader.

Besides these possible Newberys (Newberies?) I'm looking forward to ADVENTUROUS WOMEN: EIGHT TRUE STORIES ABOUT WOMEN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE, by Penny Colman. Can't ever have too many strong women role models. And THE CONCH BEARER, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Can't find enough good books with India-Indian main characters so that my classroom library will have books in which every reader can find "someone like me." And POND SCUM, by Alan Silberberg. Can't decide on a first read-aloud. This might be it.

Don't worry...

Lois Lowry has a new puppy.




I have a crazy dog.

Even though a whole pack springs to mind (Winn Dixie, Shiloh, the RED FERN duo, the great one in EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS, the Rottweiler in I AM THE DOG, I AM THE CAT, Old Yeller, Martha, and Clifford), never fear, we won't start another list of Cool________in (or peripheral to) Children's Literature.

Who would have thought?

So, I found this blog that has a Poetry Friday Haiku Contest on a theme/topic. Very fun. Maybe I would have liked Haiku in school had we had this much fun doing it. I am wondering how we can incorporate these little blog activities in the classroom. Kids would write Haiku if it was in a fun, playful way like this. I would love to have conversations with kids about which 100 Cool Girls, Boys and Teachers, in Books they would choose. If they are great conversations for those of us who love to read as adults, kids might have a ball with them too!

Poetry Friday--Moving Day

I just received a copy of MOVING DAY by Ralph Fletcher. It is a great book for elementary age students on anticipating a move to a new place. Ralph Fletcher does a great job of really hitting those feelings that you get when you don't want to leave a home and friends that you love. What I love about this book is the way that each poem stands alone but that it is also sequential so that it reads like a story. You go through the process of moving and accepting the move. There's a great variety of poems and moods to the poems. I think we'd have lots of students who could relate. It will also serve as a great model in Writing Workshop--for students trying to write poetry anthologies on a single topic, to look closely at a poem or at Fletcher as a poet. I think the book is due out in November. Definitely worth the wait!

Eats, Shoots and Leaves for Kids!

Have you seen the new EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES: WHY, COMMAS REALLY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE by Lynne Truss? Beth at Cover to Cover recommended it to me. It is a kid version of the adult book on punctuation. It is great! Pretty funny too. Kids will clearly see the need for commas and what they do to the meaning of words. Amusing illustrations show the difference between two sentences like, "Becky walked on, her head a little higher than usual." and "Becky walked on her head, a little higher than usual." It is quite clever! Definitely a must-have for my classroom!

Flying Solo

How about Mr. Fabiano from FLYING SOLO by Ralph Fletcher? The teacher is clearly amazing based on the way his kids react to a no-sub day and the way that he responds when he finds out about their day without a teacher. He definitely fits the criteria!

Meditations On The Cool Teacher Project

I refuse to get an inferiority complex because I don't know all the books that have teachers who have been nominated for our list! And as long as we're trying to have read the Newbery and the majority of my kids' book reading time is devoted to the most current possibilities, I might not even get around to reading lots of those books for a long time to come. But it will be a great place to start someday.

Teachers who have elicited an, "Oh, YEAH! I forgot about her/him!!!" response from me include: Miss Honey, Ms. Frizzle, Merlin, and Mrs. Olinski. Maybe a parallel project should be re-reading some old favorites!

It is good to know that there is no shame in checking out your data on SiteMeter!

More Cool Teachers

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll start a list on the sidebar so you can check for your favorites.

Meanwhile, here are some of mine. Now, I can't take all the credit for all of these -- this was a collaborative effort with Franki and Karen T. over breakfast, and with owner Sally at Cover to Cover (children's bookstore extraordinaire) later.

Mrs. Kempczinski in GOOD LUCK, MRS. K by Louise Borden. The whole book is a love letter to a beloved teacher who misses the last months of school because she has cancer. But she comes back!

Dumbledore in the HARRY POTTER books.

Ms. Clayton in SCHOOL STORY by Andrew Clements. He has lots of good teachers. Thank you, Mr. Clements! This one is the teacher who helps the girl get her book published.

I also liked Mr. Maxwell in Clements' A WEEK IN THE WOODS. We take our kids to camp, so I could appreciate his organization in preparation for the trip. He made some mistakes and bad assumptions, but he (along with the main kid character) changed and grew.

Mr. Faulker, in THANK YOU, MR. FAULKER by Patricia Polacco. That's just obvious.

Ms. Isabel Hussey in CHASING VERMEER and THE WRIGHT THREE by Blue Balliett. She is energetic and child-centered. Her teaching is rigorous and the work her students do is authentic. She follows the students' agendas and her own, and their studies go further and deeper than any curriculum developer or textbook writer could ever imagine. She's a light in the darkness of standards-based teaching.

Miss Stretchberry in LOVE THAT DOG by Sharon Creech. You have to draw a lot of conclusions about Miss Stretchberry from Jack's poetry journal, but who wouldn't love to have a teacher who is so passionate about poetry, and so gently persistent in growing her writers?

Mr. Birkway in WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech. Boy does he screw up reading the kids' journals aloud, but he realizes it and back pedals. I can kind of relate to that sort of thing happening now and then...

Mr. Todd, JUDY MOODY's teacher. He'd have to be a saint to put up with Judy!

Mr. Slinger, LILLY'S (PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE, by Kevin Henkes) teacher. I love him right down to his cheese puffs and Birkenstock sandals!

#3 Cool Teacher in Kid Lit--Miss Malarkey

Okay, so I was thinking, the Giver in THE GIVER is not really a teacher although he certainly serves as one. So, I am taking him off of the list and adding Miss Malarkey from MISS MALARKEY LEAVES NO READER BEHIND by Judy Finchler. I had to think hard about this one. I never like when kids are rewarded for reading. So, the principal dying his hair purple and sleeping on the roof was not my favorite. But.... then when I read the book, I decided Miss Malarkey totally makes our list. I never get the impression that Miss Malarkey really likes the purple hair reward. Instead it is clear that her goal is to hook each child into books by really knowing them as readers. She doesn't care how many books the kids read. She is all about turning kids into readers by finding books that they will love! So, Miss Malarkey becomes the third COOL TEACHER IN CHILDREN'S LIT.

100 Cool Teachers in Children's Lit

Okay so I am totally loving the lists from Jen Robinson's Book Page blog--Cool Boys from Kid Lit and Cool Girls From Children's Literature. I loved reading over these lists and thinking about these great characters we love.

I soo loved the idea that I started thinking. Could we come up with 100 Cool Teachers from Children's Lit? What do you think? So many teachers in books are these stereotypic, mean, dumpy people who are worn out. So, let's start putting together a list of 100 Cool Teacher's in Children's Lit. I am going to start with Great Aunt Arizona from MY GREAT AUNT ARIZONA by Gloria Houston. I also think The Giver in THE GIVER is a cool teacher. I would also like to add Mrs. Granger from FRINDLE by Andrew Clements. She is cool in disguise. We're looking for thoughtful teachers who understand kids and learning and are active, intelligent people who love their work. Do you think we can find 100? We are taking suggestions from readers!

Check the list in the sidebar to see if your favorite is already there! As of today (12/31/10), we have ALMOST 150 cool teachers! Keep 'em coming!

One more reason why she's currently my favorite children's author

Shannon Hale is sharing chapter one of her newest book, RIVER SECRETS!

YAY!

****

Two minutes faster than last year, thanks for asking! Next year I hope to break the 30 minute mark.

Bone

The fourth Bone book, THE DRAGONSLAYER (Jeff Smith), is out. Phoney Bone has just about gone too far this time, tricking the villagers into fearing a non-existent danger, imposing strict security measures that are followed to the letter even though they don't make sense, ordering plowshares beaten into swords, taxing the villagers to cover the "crisis" situation he has created, blaming everything on the moral decay of the people, and almost killing the villagers' greatest ally when his scam doesn't quite play out the way he'd planned.

No, wait. Was that Bone I was reading, or today's newspaper?

Poetry Friday

This poem came to mind yesterday when I was doing a training swim at Alum Creek Reservoir. Tomorrow is my second-ever 1.5K time trial open water swim. It will certainly not be too cold, I don't plan to die, and I'm only occasionally too far out (in my life or otherwise).

Not Waving But Drowning
by Stevie Smith

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

On a lighter note...

Franki, you don't have to read the whole Series of Unfortunate Events. Here's a perfectly good ultracondensed version by Andrea M., age 13, one of the winners of a Muse Magazine contest:

Mr. Poe: Your parents died.
Orphans: Woe is us.
Count Olaf: I want your money.
Orphans: You can't have it.
(Count Olaf does mean things.)
Orphans: Things can't get much worse.
(They do.)

THE END

For more of this silliness, check out the website that inspired the contest, the Book-a-Minute site. You'll find ultracondensed versions of science fiction, fantasy (don't miss the two versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), classics, bedtime stories (don't miss The Mitten), and movies. For the rest of the winners of the Muse contest, you'll either have to check out the July/August issue (Heather D., age 17, did such a good job with the Harry Potter books that I've been inspired to slog through #6 even though I'm a year late), or go to the Muse website.

It strikes me that these are only funny if you know the book or movie. And to get them right, you have to REALLY know the book or movie. Are there classroom applications here? Whaddaya think?

Events, current or otherwise

Newsphoto: Basra,
Collateral Damage 




Our armies do not come into your cities and lands
as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators.

—General F.S. Maude, commander of the British
 colonial forces in Iraq, 1914




Apparently the little girl is dead.

In Basra, bombed to rubble by the Yanks,

her stricken father cradles her small head.



Her right foot dangles, ghastly, by a thread.

Cluster bombs & F-16s & tanks.

That is to say the little girl is dead



whose fingers curl (small hand brushed with blood)

as if to clutch his larger hand. He drinks

her—sobbing—in, & cradles her small head,



& rocks her in his arms, the final bed

but one in which she'll lie. The father clings,

as if his broken daughter were not dead,



her face, as if in sleep, becalmed, but red,

bloodied, bruised. At bottom left, the ranks

of those still dying die beneath her head.



Legions of the Lords of Plunder: the dread

angel of empire offers you thanks!

Look, if you dare! See? The child is dead.

Her stricken father cradles her small head.



by Steve Kowit

Quote for the day

Wole Soyinka said, "A book if necessary should be a hammer [or] a hand grenade which you detonate under a stagnant way of looking at the world."

Cosmic Again

Last book was TWICE TOLD, short stories inspired by original art. I just finished Elizabeth Winthrop's new book, COUNTING ON GRACE, which is historical fiction about a twelve-year-old girl in the early 18th century who doffs bobbins in a cotton mill in Vermont. And what was Elizabeth Winthrop's inspiration for this book? A Lewis Hine photograph in his collection which documented child labor in the early 1900's!! (There's also a one room school in this one. This is just getting too weird.)

I'm probably going to have to twist the arms of my literature circle group to read this -- they are avid NON-readers of historical fiction -- but they read both CASTLE IN THE ATTIC and BATTLE FOR THE CASTLE last year and vowed that they wanted Elizabeth Winthrop to write a new book. Well, this isn't quite what they had in mind, but I think they'll fall in love. Grace is a likeable character, contrary down to her stubborn left-handedness and her inability to sit still or concentrate. It seems that she'll fall into the trap of a lifetime of work at the mill, but because of the influences of Grace's teacher, a visit from Mr. Hine, her best friend Arthur's deliberate mangling of his hand to escape mill work, and her mother (as much of a sharp-edged, contrary character as Grace is), Grace winds up, at age 12, the substitute teacher in the mill school when her teacher is fired for her work with Mr. Hine against child labor. GREAT characters. SUPERB writing. EXCELLENT end notes about Louis Hine and the photograph that inspired Elizabeth Winthrop.

Twice Told

It's an interesting concept. Scott Hunt sent some original drawings out to authors, and two authors per picture wrote stories inspired by the pictures. It's definitely NOT a book for a 4th/5th grade classroom: the picture with a cake and an ax on the kitchen table inspired a tale of a semi-abusive father forcing a coming-of-age ceremony on his son, and in the other, the son kills his father with the ax. There's also homosexuality in one, and sexual abuse in another.

That said, I loved both of the stories that go with the picture on the cover -- an older woman in her robe and scuffs giving a bear what-for; shaking her finger at him so hard it's blurred. In one story, the bear is a stuffed animal come to life, and in the other, nature's tables are turned in quite a clever way.

There are some other good stories, and the notes from the authors in the back shed light on what it was about the picture that spoke to each of them, and how they went about writing their story for the collection.

Yet Another Cosmic Reading Event

First there was the time I was reading PRODIGAL SUMMER by Barbara Kingsolver and it was not just the same season, but exactly the same dates in spring in my world and in the book. Same wildflowers were blooming, everything.

Then there was ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt while I was cold, hungry, and uncomfortable (just like him in the book) the time I got snowed in at the Alamo car rental place at the (then) new Denver Airport. That was before the city and the airport had figured out who was responsible for plowing Pena Blvd. out of the airport to I-70.

Last week I was reading 1776 by David McCullough while home visiting Mom. I finished it the day before we sorted boxes of pictures of her ancestors when I learned that her grandmother had been a member of the DAR. So that means I, too, can trace ancestors back to the 1700's and Vermont and the Battle of Bennington.

Now, today's cosmic reading event: the very next book I picked after one room schools in Montana (THE WHISTLING SEASON) was a one room school in Nebraska! ROOM ONE by Andrew Clements.

Teacher Man vs. The Whistling Season

I was completely unimpressed by Frank McCourt's TEACHER MAN. The only saving grace was that I listened to it, and got to hear his wonderful Irish brogue.

Now, if you want a great story that also gives insight into the making of an inspired (and inspirational) teacher, read THE WHISTLING SEASON by Ivan Doig. It's set in 1957 and the state superintendent of schools in Montana is faced with having to close all the state's one room schools because of Sputnik. He himself is a product of a Montana one room school, and the book is an extended meditation on one formative year in his life and the teacher who made so much of a difference to him and his family. (That's a huge exaggeration, but you'll have to read it to find out.) Doig is a master story teller -- there's an interesting plot turn on page 327 -- and gifted in his use of language and creation of characters. Plus, you can read it with a teacher's eye and find differentiation, discipline strategies, integration, state standards, school board politics, and playground subcultures. You'll get a refresher/beginner's course in Latin, as well.

STUDY DRIVEN and Response to Comment

After RETHINKING RUBRICS IN WRITING ASSESSMENT, I went on to read Katie Wood Ray's amazing new book called STUDY DRIVEN: A FRAMEWORK FOR PLANNING UNITS IN THE WRITING WORKSHOP. LOVED IT TOO! Katie is always brilliant but this book was another one that was exactly what I needed. She reminds us that we are the professionals, the people in the classroom who know our students best. She helps us to see how to bring inquiry back to the writing workshop while still having rigor and making sure we teach what is required by our districts/states. So often, we are losing the authenticity of our reading and writing workshops. My favorite thinking was about kids needing vision. I have really been struggling with writing workshop for the last few years. Trying to figure out how to make it work but with more rigor. Like Katie, I have a bit of an uncomfortable feeling when I assign a certain genre. So, I avoid it. But, I think I am uncomfortable because of the way it has been done and what I am seeing come out (published) lately. But STUDY DRIVEN clearly shows how to have the energy that a workshop should have and keeping the kids empowered and balancing the process and the product.

Someone on the blog asked me to expand about my comment about RETHINKING RUBRICS when I said I was happy to see this book because: "I worry that lately we have had lots of books that tell us what to do. But, this book really gets us back to the professional roles that we have--really thinking about what matches our beliefs about students and learning--the conversations that seem to have become lost over the last few years." I guess I am saying that so much of what is being published lately is very scripted or very planned and the teacher decision making is taken out of it all. As a profession, we are losing faith in what we know, afraid to question things that seem to be "what we are supposed to be doing". I am excited about RETHINKING RUBRICS and STUDY DRIVEN because both of these books open up conversations that need to happen. I don't think it is important that we all agree on practice. But I think it is critical that we talk and process and are free to question so that we can make the best decisions for our students. It seems that with the standards and testing and No Child Left Behind...teachers have less of a say about what goes on in our classrooms. So, I am glad to see books like these two that are helping us (teachers) to rethink some practices that may not necessarily be the best for our students and to give us better options.

My favorite book of 2006

My best book of 2006 dates clear back to April: THE BOOK OF STORY BEGINNINGS by Kristin Kladstrup. Nothing else has come close since then.

3 children's books

I just finished 3 2006 children's books. I finally finished WEEDFLOWER by Cynthia Kadohata. I had started it a while ago and seemed to have lost it on a pile of books. So, I finished it yesterday. A good book. I loved the character in this one. I also read VICTORY by Susan Cooper. I think this one is worth a read. It is told from 2 perspectives and the stories come together. One character is a girl today and the other is a boy in the 1800's. I really liked it. The other one I finally finished was LISTEN! by Stephanie Tolan. My class had chosen it as a read aloud and we never had time to finish it on the last day. It is a good book--a dog story with depth. I liked all 3 of these but still don't have that "I LOVE IT--HOPE IT WINS THE NEWBERY" feeling yet. The girls at Cover to Cover suggested BLACK DUCK so I hope to read that in the next few weeks. It sounds like a good one.

Finally-Reading Again!

Okay, so you have been reading far more than I have! I am finally getting into a routine that includes lots of reading time again. It took me a while to settle into summer mode:-) I just finished FAIRIES OF NUTFOLK WOOD by Barb Bentler Ullman. I really liked it. It was a sweet story with characters that I loved. It got a starred review from Booklist and I think it was well-deserved. It is one of my 06 favorites SO FAR. A possible read aloud, depending on the class I have this year.

I also finished SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen. It was OKAY. Everyone I talked to loved it so maybe I was just not in the right frame of mind. It is a fun book. I liked it okay. Just not a favorite.

And I just read RETHINKING RUBRICS IN WRITING ASSESSMENT by Maja Wilson. LOVE IT! It is a bit of an uncomfortable read--making me rethink some things about my writing assessment that I was pretty comfortable with before I read the book. But Maja Wilson seems to be a brilliant new voice in writing. Can't read it without thinking hard about practice and assessment. As Randy Bomer says in a blurb about the book, "This book will create the conversations educators desperately need: about accurate assessment, quality writing, and informed teaching." I worry that lately we have had lots of books that tell us what to do. But, this book really gets us back to the professional roles that we have--really thinking about what matches our beliefs about students and learning--the conversations that seem to have become lost over the last few years. I'd highly recommend this one.

So, I read a children's book, a professional book and an adult fiction book. I am feeling almost balanced!
I'll put the Sisters Grimm on my stack of next reads. I keep hearing about it and your last post convinced me!

I am debating reading the whole Series of Unfortunate Events. I am not in the mood but I don't want to miss the fun of reading the last one this fall. What do you think? Is it worth of week or two of my reading?

I'll be reading VICTORY by Susan Cooper and the new book by Carolyn Parkhurst called LOST AND FOUND: A NOVEL (same author as DOGS OF BABEL). They are next on my stack. I'll keep you posted!

Belated Reviews

FLY BY NIGHT by Hardinge

I'll borrow from the UK Amazon.com for a synopsis, but not because I'm lazy. I want to make sense. This is a LONG (500+ page), complicated book. Some of the time I wasn't sure I knew what was going on. Because I have a hard time following the ins and outs of politics and religion in our world, it was doubly hard to follow in Hardinge's imaginary world. But just like the end of WICKED, the end of this book made it all worth while. Here's the synopsis:

"A fantastic adventure story set in an alternative historical world that launches the career of a uniquely talented children's writer. In a fractured Realm, struggling to maintain an uneasy peace after years of civil war and religious tyranny, a 12- year- old orphan and a homicidal goose become the accidental heroes of a revolution. Mosca has spent her life in a miserable hamlet, where her father was banished for writing inflammatory books about tolerance and freedom. Now he is dead, and Mosca is on the run after unintentionally setting fire to a mill. With a delightful swindler named Eponymous Clent, she heads for the city of Mandelion. A born liar, Mosca lives by her wits in a world of highwaymen and smugglers, dangerously insane rulers in ludicrous wigs, secret agents and radical plotters. She is recruited as a spy by the fanatical Mabwick Toke, leader of the Guild of Stationers, who fears losing his control over the publication of every book in the state. Mosca's activities reveal a plot to force a rule of terror on the Realm, and merry mayhem soon leads to murder... FLY BY NIGHT is set in a re-imagined early-eighteenth century England, where kite-powered coffeehouses take to the river, and citizens lay offerings at the shrine of Goodman Blackwhistle of the Favourable Wind. Funny and surprising, stuffed with wonderful characters, at its heart it contains an inspiring truth - that the power of books can change the world."

As challenging and rewarding a read as FLY BY NIGHT was, THE SISTERS GRIMM: THE FAIRY TALE DETECTIVES by Buckley was just plain fun without too much work. I love books that allow young readers to discover the joy of understanding literary (albeit fairy tale) allusions.

And then we can fall clear off the literary map into cotton candy made of words with BABY MOUSE: BEACH BABE. Sugar is good occasionally, in small doses.

I thought GOSSAMER was a very sweet "explanation" of dreams and nightmares, woven into a story of a screwed up mom, her angry boy, and a lonely old woman and her long-suffering old dog.

CORYDON AND THE ISLAND OF MONSTERS is the first of what appears to be a trilogy of novels based on Greek mythological characters. But if you squint, you're reading Harry Potter. Boy hero has a goat leg instead of a lightning scar. He's away from society -- literally a scapegoat living with monsters instead of away at boarding school at Hogwarts. There are journeys, battles, a magic staff, honor, and lots of allusions to/inclusions of stories of myth, heroes and legend. The list of sources in the back includes movies, TV programs and PS2 games.

Two More

While waiting for the fuel pump in the VW Golf to be replaced (warranty/recall) for the SECOND time, and I probably shouldn't count either one:

Too short to be counted, but I will: Baby Mouse: Beach Babe, by Holm and Holm
#21 Children's

Skimmed it enough to know I haven't trained right for next week's open water swim at Alum Creek: Open Water Swimming, by Dean
#12 Adult

I put "Random Books From My Library" back on, but I got it at the bottom of the sidebar where it's not so annoying.

Mid-Year Reading Goal Report Card

YEARLY GOAL: 52 children's books
MID-YEAR TOTAL: 20 books
In the last week: The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives, Buckley
Gossamer, Lowry
Fly By Night, Hardinge

YEARLY GOAL: 20 adult books
MID-YEAR TOTAL: 11 books
In the last week: We Are All Welcome Here, Berg
Teacher Man, McCourt, audio

Thoughts, comments, and reviews to follow.

Whew!

From a review in the New York Times Book Review of the book DOING NOTHING: A HISTORY OF LOAFERS, LOUNGERS, SLACKERS, AND BUMS IN AMERICA. This reviewer (Dave Barry) obviously doesn't know what it's like to be a teacher:

"I suspect that most people -- like me and the Federal Reserve Board -- think they work pretty hard. But it isn't always easy to tell the difference between working and slacking, especially in the modern American "information" economy, where relatively few people do anything that is inarguably work, such as going down into a coal mine and coming back up with pieces of actual coal. A lot of us would have to admit that if we skipped a day or two of "work," or even a couple of months, or maybe even three or four years, we might miss our paychecks, but the impact on society would be minimal, or in the case of some professions (consultants, editorial writers, Paris Hilton) nonexistent."

As for me, I know without a DOUBT that I've worked hard for the last 180 days and that my impact on society is SIGNIFICANT and if they want me to come back and do it all over again next fall, I better have a couple months off to rest and recover!

Let the summer reading begin!

Desperate Housewives

Okay, so on the Desperate Housewives final episode last week, Susan states she "writes children's books". But, in fact, she is a children's book illustrator. I know this because I am a big Desperate Housewives fan. I guess the general public sees no difference in people who write books or the ones who illustrate books. They should know this--at least the writers should. UGH! And, since we are talking about desperate Housewives, I so hope that Mike didn't die --I hate having to wait until fall to see if he is okay:-)

Just finished DIGGING TO AMERICA by Anne Tyler. LOVED IT. It was exactly the book I needed. I love all of her books but I think this may be one of her best. As always the characters stay with you. I highly recommend this one.

On my next read list: WEEDFLOWER and maybe THE GIRLS.

My To-Read List

WEEDFLOWER
GOSSAMER
Elizabeth Berg's new one
the first in the GRIMM SISTERS series (that's what I'm reading currently)
TWICE TOLD

...and a few others. It's an imposing pile.

And, yes, I'll probably read THE BOOK THIEF.

THE BOOK THIEF

So, are you going to read THE BOOK THIEF? I keep hearing that it is amazing. But, I can't decide. I have WEEDFLOWER and FLY BY NIGHT on my stack but FLY BY NIGHT cannot win the Newbery because it was published in England first. WEEDFLOWER is already on a few lists for the Newbery.

NY Times Book Reviews

In a special children's book section of the May 14 NY Times Book Review, these books (among other picture books and a few nonfiction) got reviewed: THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, 1st page of the section, glowing; GOSSAMER, positive; THE WRIGHT 3, two thumbs down; THE BOOK THIEF, "brilliant and hugely ambitious." More from the review of THE BOOK THIEF: "But it's the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, "The Book Thief" offers us a believable, hard-won hope. That hope is embodied in Liesel, who grows into a good and generous person despite the suffering all around her, and finally becomes a human even Death can love. The hope we see in Liesel is unassailable, the kind you can hang on to in the midst of poverty and war and violence. Young readers need such alternatives to ideological rigidity, and such explorations of how stories matter. And so, come to think of it, do adults."

Sounds like a must-read. And a good antidote for Yonwood.

Yonwood-esque

Life is imitating DuPrau's art.

In the Sunday Dispatch: A Franklin County commissioner is frantic about stray cats in central Ohio because a few cats on an island somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic have been found carrying the bird flu virus.

Happy Me!

Happy Me! I found a link to the galleys that are being given away--upcoming children's books. I am so happy! So many of my favorite authors have new books coming out in the next several months--Gail Carson Levine, Kimberly Willis Holt, Katherine Paterson! Just had to share the fun:-)

I did pick up HOMEWORK MACHINE by Dan Gutman. Seems to be making lots of lists. I also picked up a very cute picture book called BIG SISTER, LITTLE SISTER LeUyen Pham. Love it! I also picked up ALIENS ARE COMING: THE TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE 1938 WAR OF THE WORLDS RADIO BROADCAST by Meghan Mccarthy. A great nonfiction picture book.

Maybe this blog should be about books we buy, not books we read:-)

Prophet of Yonwood

Well, I finished the book tonight. I liked it. It is pretty equal to her other 2 books. Some interesting issues to think about as always. A character I could like, not love. A nice message for kids. The interesting thing to me is how she took what is going on now in the world (terrorist, doing things in the name of God, war, good vs. evil) and put them into this plot. Pretty smart. This book is definitely worth a read, although it is not on my list of possible Newbery winners. So far, I don't think I have read anything up to Newberyness. If I had to pick out of the 6 I've read, it would have to be GOSSAMER by Lois Lowry.

Adoption book

An O Magazine mini-review. May issue. The girls are from Russia, I think.

I'm listening to AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. Not at all what I expected. I am going to start the EMBER prequel next. It got mixed reviews, but I, too, will withhold judgment until I finish it.

My to-read pile is towering. Sixteen days of school left. We are on fingers and toes! Seventeen days until Big Chunks Of Time To Read. (aka -- summer)

Stuff

The adoption books sounds good--think I've heard of it. Did you read it? Tell more please.

Well, I took a little break from Anne Tyler's book (even though I love it) to read PROPHET OF YONWOOD by Jeanne DuPrau, the prequel to CITY OF EMBER. I am about halfway through. I am withholding judgment until I finish. Hopefully I'll finish something soon. But with the end of the year school stuff, who knows!

The Patricia Polacco thing seems to be getting more interesting. I heard that she posted an update on her website after SRA/MCGraw Hill posted her signed contract. Looks like a mess to me. I also heard that SRA/McGraw Hill responded on lots of blogs that discussed the Polacco cancellation. I guess we don't rate as a blog since they didn't respond to us. The Allen County people have posted their first list of books for their Mock Newbery Club. About 10-12 books that they feel could win the Newbery. A few that look interesting. I might start with Dan Gutman's THE HOMEWORK MACHINE. If I ever finish one of the ones I've started. I did pick up JUMPING THE SCRATCH by Sarah Weeks. It looks like a possibility for the Newbery. WRIGHT 3 is getting mixed reviews. Maybe if I spent as much time reading actual books as I do reading reviews, I'd get a few books finished!

Two More For Mothers' Day

From O Magazine: "You can do every possible thing to ensure your children a safe and gentle passage, but life is still coiled around them, full of terror and death and catastrophe. As much as I love my sons, as quickly as I would lay down my life for them, there is really only one thing I can protect them from: the bad behavior of their parents. Once you have children, you may be dealt a lifetime of sorrows or happiness, but which one you end up with is irrelevant. All that matters, once you have children, is that you behave. " --Caitlyn Flanagan

And, since you are loving Anne Tyler's new book, Franki, I think you'd like this one: TWO LITTLE GIRLS: A MEMOIR OF ADOPTION by Theresa Reid.

Mothers' Day Thought

From 'TIS by Frank McCourt:

"You have to discover your mother through other people."

Amen.

A message from Patricia Polacco's website

Urgent Notice....

To All Educators, Librarians, and Media Specialists

Regarding the cancellation of my appearance at the IRA in Chicago for May 2 and 3, 2006

A few months ago I was approached by The Buchanan Associates in Dublin, OH to appear at the International Reading Association Conference in Chicago on May 2 and 3, 2006. I was to be part of 5 events. Speeches, 'meet and greet' and book signings.

I was happy to accept the invitation which, I assumed, was coming from the I.R.A. and my publisher. It is always such an honor for me to speak and interact with teachers and librarians from around the country.

But, then, a very disturbing turn of events transpired. My staff started receiving phone calls and emails from this firm in Ohio requesting that I furnish them with a detailed written outline of what I intended to include in my speeches. I assumed, of course, that this was asked so that a synopsis of my content could be included in a printed brochure furnished to the conferees.

You can imagine my astonishment when I finally called this firm and learned that this was not the reason. They requested my written outline because their 'client' wanted to make sure that I would not discuss my deep concern about NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND MANDATE...as well as my concern that there is a link between this mandate and the SRA/McGraw Hill Company who manufactures, prints, and profits from the sale of these tests to school systems all over our country.

It was then that I closely reviewed all of the emails (I had not up until this time because I had been doing school visits and was not home until now) I then realized that the "client" that this firm referred to, but never names, was indeed, SRA/McGraw Hill! I also learned from the Officials of the IRA that SRA/McGraw Hill was indeed sponsoring the event that I had been invited to. I was shocked!
This "firm" insisted that my speech be "upbeat, non-controversial, and non-political"...I countered with the fact that the plight of the American teacher is far from "upbeat" and they are caught in the vice grip of the most controversial and political LIE that has ever been perpetrated on the American teacher.

I was also quite mystified as to why SRA/McGraw Hill would even select ME and invite me to be a part of their program knowing how strongly I feel about this entire situation.

My speeches certainly do inspire teachers...I truly believe they are among the last heros we have in our country...but I always mention the destructive path that is laying wasted to our schools and that is the No Child Left Behind Mandate!

I did mention to them that I considered this broaching "censorship" and a violation of my freedom of speech.

Finally, after receiving numerous emails from this 'firm' that got more and more 'insistences'...I finally sent them a written refusal to alter my speeches in any way. Certainly I can moderate their length, but I refused to alter the content. I made them aware if they truly had a problem with this, then they could "un-invite" me to be part of their event.

Needless to sat, SRA/McGraw Hill cancelled my programs within the hour!

My main concern here, is that I very much fear the conferees will be led to believe that it is I who cancelled this event. The cancellation was the choice of SRA/McGraw Hill and was generated by a blatant attempt to CENSOR my remarks and the content of what I say to teachers, which is a clear infringement of my constitutional right to freedom of speech. I pride myself on being an advocate for America's teachers as well as being one of the most reliable speakers at conferences in our country.

My lawyers and I have set a formal request to SRA/McGraw Hill through their representative, The Buchanan Associates in Dublin, Ohio, to post the following signs outside of each venue at the conference where I am schedules to speak.

"DUE TO PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SRA/McGRAW HILL AND PATRICIA POLACCO, SRA/McGRAW HILL HAS CHOSEN TO CANCEL ALL OF PATRICIA POLACCO'S APPEARANCES AT THIS EVENT"

Call anyone you know that was either going to attend my events, or that did and were disappointed and tell them why this happened.

I am very disturbed by this on many levels. It seems that we Americans are losing, by leaps and bounds, our constitution "guaranteed" rights.

I am insulted and very offended not only on my own behalf, but also because of these various organizations that seek to profit from the misery for our teachers and school children. Profits and money seem to matter much more than truly making changes to our educational systems that would truly help our children. I have to admit that I have a certain amount of pride in taking this stand on your behalf.

Yours faithfully,
Patricia Polacco

Update

My 5th grade Indian cultural informant and I agree, BINDI BABES was fun, but nearly as good as BLUE JASMINE (out in paperback, I saw, in a recent trip to Cover to Cover). I listened to BINDI BABES, which gave me the value-added experience of hearing it with the Indian accent of the actress who starred in "Bend it Like Beckham." But the story line was weak and the characters were annoying.

My 4th grade literature circle and I agree that THE WRIGHT 3 by Blue Balliett was good, but not as good as CHASING VERMEER. They all want to go to Chicago to check out the Robie House and the Hyde Park neighborhood. That'd be a heck of a good field trip, eh?!?! We're hoping Blue Balliett will write another mystery for Petra, Calder, and (although he's a fairly annoying character) Tommy to solve. We hope she picks another form of art, preferably sculpture.

My top pick so far for Best Book of 2006 is THE BOOK OF STORY BEGINNINGS by Kristin Kladstrup. Oscar starts some stories in a magical book, and he and his grand niece (in his future...in her present) along with her chemistry professor/magician father have to finish them, because stories must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This book is part INKHEART and part THE GREAT GOOD THING. Love it. Got sucked in. Wish I would have read it at 10, 11, or 12. My childhood me would have loved it.

Books We Need to Read

Okay, so I have been snooping on lots of other book logs. 3 books that sound like must reads for 2006.
FLY BY NIGHT by Frances Hardinge
WEEDFLOWER by Cynthia Kadohata (does this fit your 2 word Newbery rule, ML?)
LOUD SILENCE OF FRANCINE GREEN by Karen Cushman

I am going to IRA this weekend so I hope to come back with a suitcase filled with brand new books!
The prequel to CITY OF EMBER should be out. Very excited about that!

2006 Reading

Well, I finally got started on my 2006 Newbery reading! I read Lois Lowry's GOSSAMER. I loved it. It was a sweet story. It seemed to be for kids younger than THE GIVER. I have a student reading it now who also loves it. I would recommend it. I also picked up LISTEN! by Stephanie Tolan. Looks like a possibility. Has a dog story won lately?

I have two new favorite websites/blogs to share. First is a book award I just discovered. You probably already know it, but it is the Jane Addams Peace Award for children's books. They just announced their 2006 awards.

I've also discovered this amazing blog by a New York librarian. Not sure how I found it. Pure luck, I guess. But she writes every day, reviews lots of new books, and she is hysterically funny. I am hooked to the blog. I will post the link sometime soon.

I am also looking forward to a new book coming out from Stenhouse called BLACK ANTS AND BUDDHISTS by Mary Cowhey. I read much of it online today and love it!

That's about it:-)

Kid Quip, Part Two

The week before Easter, Student B asked, "What's Good Friday?"

I gave him a thumbnail sketch of the death of Christ by crucifixion, and His raising from the dead on Easter.

He looked at me, incredulous, and asked, "What's all that got to do with the Easter Bunny?"