The Best Book of the Summer - So Far....

I just read the BEST BOOK EVER!!!! It was such a powerful read. Laughed. Cried. Whole nine yards. The book....

Out of my mind by Sharon M. Draper

It deserves 5 stars!!! It's hard for me to give a book a perfect rating, but this one deserves it.

Melody is an extremely intelligent eleven year old, but few are aware of this including her teachers. It all changes when she receives a "Medi-Talker" which allows her to talk for the first time. (When she looks at her mom and tells her she loves her, I cried. No, I boohooed. Like mega tissue time!) The interaction between Melody and her classmates is so realistic. Any student reading this one is going to be convinced this is a true story. Oh, by the way, Melody has cerebral palsy and her hero is Stephen Hawking.

As a teacher/librarian, this story really touched my heart. Unfortunately students are at times identified with labels - whether it be educational, emotional, or physical. For example I know I'm tough on my own two children because of their intelligence. I expect a lot out of them and had to learn not to "freak out" if they make below an "A". (They take after their dad! LOL) It really bothers me when someone makes a negative comment about one of my students. Yes, their mom might have a small drug problem, they don't always wear clean clothes to school, can't afford new school supplies but for a few hours every day they are my kids! They deserve the best I/everyone can give them.

If you are looking for a great summer anytime read, check out "out of my mind" by Sharon Draper.
I'm recommending this one to my 4th graders and up. (AR reading level of 4.3)

Keep Reading! I'm off to discover more GREAT books.

#IMWAYR January 20

It's Monday! What are you reading? Link up with Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to see what others are reading.

Last week I didn't get around to linking up. I did read week before last. I was focused on getting my books read for the Cybils. Can't wait to see what titles win in all the different categories. I'm a round 2 judge for Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books. I finished reading and rereading all 12 of my books and have my favorites, more on that in a couple weeks. Definitely have some recommendations for my lower grade teaching pals!

This past week I read:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It's the first book in the Lunar Chronicles.

I loved it! 5 stars. My upper grade girls are going to love this one. As you can tell from the title, it's another retelling of Cinderella, but with a totally different twist. Cinder is a cyborg! The futuristic setting, fighting the plague, and of course the evil Lunar queen will appeal to my 7th and 8th grade girls. (Kirsten told me to hurry so she could read it first!)

Genius Files: You Only Die Twice by Dan Gutman

This one will be enjoyed by my middle students. I had the first Genius Files and the students have been after me to get more. Love it when that happens! Unfortunately, the downfalls of a small school - small budget. I have to plan purchases carefully. Hopefully hubby won't pay to close attention to the Amazon purchases for the past month. I sort of sneaked a few books in for my students with the Christmas shopping! As for the genius files, a cute thriller for my middle grades. In case you haven't read one - Pepsi and Coke McDonald are two teenagers enlisted in the genius files. They are traveling across the country in an RV with their parents.  Of course there is someone trying to kill them... The villain in this one surprised me. 3 stars.


Finally, I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Oh my gosh! If you haven't read this one DO SO! I thought about using it as a read-aloud, but I don't know if I can without crying. (Of course the kids laugh when I cry!) It was the most powerful book I've read this year. Maybe even tops Ivan, which I also greatly enjoyed!!! I loved the different perspectives of the kids in the story. Made me feel really proud to be a middle school teacher by the way the students handled the bulling issue. SOMETIMES, not always, it is important to let the students work it out. We're not going to be there for them when they become adults. 5 stars!!! LOVED THIS ONE.

In between basketball and school, this week I'm going to try to read Crossed, Matched, and Reached by Allyson Braithwaite Condie. My 8th girls are running out of books to read. Can't have that!!!

Keep Reading!

Great Reads! - Picture Books

Several people teachers have been asking me to recommend some new titles for their classroom libraries.  In my library these are the titles I can't keep on shelf. (It's a great problem to have!) A few weeks ago I posted my student's favorite chapter books. Here's my list of favorite picture books and author/illustrators.

(I have about 1500 picture books in my library. It was really hard to narrow the list down to my favorites. I just love books.)

1) Tried and true: It's hard to go wrong with the following:

My favorite author/illustrators of picture books and their websites:

Eve Bunting
Jan Brett www.janbrett.com
Eric Carle http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html blog: http://www.ericcarleblog.blogspot.com/
Doreen Cronin http://www.doreencronin.com/
Denise Fleming http://denisefleming.com/
Mem Fox  http://www.memfox.net/welcome.html
Kevin Henkes  http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
Pat Hutchins 
Helen Lester  http://www.helenlester.com/
Arnold Lobol
Jonathan London
Mercer Mayer  http://www.littlecritter.com/
Robert Munsch  http://robertmunsch.com/
Laura Numeroff  http://lauranumeroff.com/
Cynthia Rylant  http://www.cynthiarylant.com/
Dr. Seuss  http://www.seussville.com/
David Shannon 
Janet Stevens  http://www.janetstevens.com/
Audrey Wood   http://www.audreywood.com/

Most authors/illustrators have a website or blog, but not all. Don't forget to check YouTube. A few can be found there reading their books.

2)  Books that have been published in the last five years that I can't teach/live/work without:)

Tad Hills - Love the Rocket stories  http://tadhills.com/
Eric Litwin and James Dean - Pete the Cat  http://www.ericlitwin.com/
Chris Raschka - (Ball for Daisy) 
Judy Schachner - Skippyjon Jones  http://www.judithbyronschachner.com/
Melanie Watt - Scaredy Squirrel   http://www.scaredysquirrel.com/
Mo Willems (Only wish I'd found him sooner!)   http://www.mowillems.com/

These are just a few of my favorites. It's really hard for me to "meet" a book I don't like.
I'll be posting more about my favorite "new" picture books as I introduce them to my darlings.

Keep Reading!

Great Reads - Chapter Books

I'm always being asked by parents, teachers, or other librarians what my students are reading. In the library I order chapter (fiction) books, picture books (easy fiction) or non-fiction (informational texts) books for my students. Yes, I do take requests from teachers. I thought I would share my student's favorite chapter books. Please remember these are not the only books in my library or a complete list of what I think children should read. These books are their favorites. As I'm constantly purchasing new books for my students to read, I'm sure it will change a little this school year.

I have included a link to a free list of these books at the bottom of this post. The collage contains the most popular books from each group of students in my school.

Popular Chapter Books for K - 2:

 

Students in the lower grades love humorous or animal stories. Graphic novels are always a big hit. Of course, they are still reading a lot of picture books. My students fell in love with Bad Kitty this past year. I'll have to find some more of them.

 

Popular Chapter Books for Grades 3 - 5

 

My middle grade students are learning to read longer and more serious stories. Of course if it's funny, it's probably popular. I start getting more requests for something "scary" about 2nd or 3rd grade. The Big Nate series and The Buddy Files were both new purchases last year.

 

Popular Chapter Books for Grades 6 - 8

 

Upper grade students are all about drama! (In more ways than one... I had to coach varsity cheerleading for a couple years and I learned very quickly to carry chocolate in my purse. I'm not going to tell if it was for me or the girls.) James Patterson's Maximum Ride books fly off the shelves. The next most popular author is Rick Riordan. His books stay on the school's hold list. (It goes without saying Diary of a Wimpy Kid is very popular!)  Lurlene McDaniel is always popular with my girls, but I'm going to use her Hit and Run  either as a read aloud or in my RTI for upper grade classes.

I have the complete list available for downloading in my TPT store. (Here's the link!) I will be updating it as I add the new books I've picked up this summer. I have already purchased a few series that were requested at the end of the last school year.

I'll keep you updated as I find new and wonderful books for my kids. I already have a few books (about $2,500 worth) on my wish lists for the fall.  Hopefully my library budget will not be one of the things that gets cut at the school board's next budget meeting. Oh well, there's always book fair. Hey, I love books and so do my students!

Keep Reading!!!

Fun with Finger Puppets

This week for story time we read traditional tales. I had several of my favorites in a basket and the children choose which ones I would read to them. The first one picked was Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel.

This one is a great spin off of The Little Red Hen. Rooster, who happens to be LRH's great grandson, enlists some help from Turtle, Iguna, and Pot-Bellied Pig to make a strawberry shortcake. It's a wonderful little story with beautiful illustrations. Ms. Stevens is a very talented illustrator and I greatly enjoy her books.  If you don't have this one, I highly recommend it. AR Level - 2.7 Lexile Level - 420

Next, we read One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian.

It was a Caldecott Metal winner in 1971. Yes, it's an older story but timeless. The kids loved it. Basicly, fox looses his tail and has to go through several steps to get it back.  I'm setting this one out to take home. This one is super great for teaching sequencing or cause and effect. (Hmmm, I see a lesson for the fall..) AR Level - 3.5 Lexile Level - 1080

Last, but not least, we read Town Mouse County Mouse by Jan Brett. AR Level - 4.0 Lexile Level - 530 I love Jan Brett! If you haven't seen her website check it out. She has activities, coloring pages, videos of how to draw her charactors and a few of her reading her books.  I found the following finger puppets on her site for my kids to create to take home. I love doing crafty activites with them in the summer. Having extra hands in the form of parents and grandparents doesn't hurt either!

I thought they turned out really cute.

Happy Reading!

What? You didn't read your book!!!

I had an unusual week. I barely read anything. GASP. This book lady didn't read. Much. Sometimes life happens. It all started over the holiday weekend when my sixteen year old got really sick. I thought it was just a nasty summer virus. YEAH. Well it was a BAD virus. We were the lucky winners of a two night stay at our local children's hospital! It could have been a lot worse. He's fine now. I've been teasing him about needing extra attention. In between hospital visits and trips back to the doctors office I did manage to read a few.

Smells Like Dog by Suzanne Selfors

I'll be honest. I wasn't too sure about this one when I got it. Then I started reading it. It was really a good read. Probably best in 3-6 grade range. In a nut shell twelve year old Homer Pudding inherits a dog and a mystery from his uncle, Drake. Uncle Drake was a treasure hunter and one of his maps is missing. Homer sets off for "the city" and has to find the missing map. Along the way meets some very odd people. Recommend this one! Accelerated Reading level - 4.3 Lexile level - 670

I did squeeze in some nonfiction books:
Swordfish by Deborah Coldiron
Sea Urchins by Simon Rose
Leeches: Waiting in the Water by Barbara A. Somervill
Kraits by Ellen Frazel
Death Adder by Lincoln James
Black Mamba by Angelo Gangemi
Fighting Dinosaurs by Monica Hughes
Diplodocus by Joanne Mattern
Snowy Owls by Roman Patrick
Hunting With Bald Eagles by Paige Thurnherr
Stock Cars by Lisa Bullard
Custer's Last Stand by Joeming Dunn

I was looking to add to some of the animal books and other topics missing in our library. I really wanted some that would make good centers to do an activity on text features.  These were good beginner books, nothing really just stood out and shouted "make me into a center!" The kids will like them. That's what's really important.

Standouts include:
The Post Office Book: Mail and How It Moves by Gail Gibbons

I just love Gail Gibbons. Seriously! This one would make a great center activity. From the history of mail to how mail is currently sorted at the post office, it's just a great little book. This one is from 1982 but it's still great! (I just didn't have this one.)

My fourth grade ELA teacher requested some more books about mythology. It's a big deal with CCS in fourth. I already had several good mythology series in the library already. I found these to add to our school's collection:

Dragons in Mythology by Matt Doeden
The Epics of Greek Mythology by Don Nardo
Egyptian Mythology by Jim Ollhoff
European Mythology by Jim Ollhoff

Jim Ollhoff's series "World of Mythology" was the best of the bunch. I'll be adding his other titles this fall. This series is written at a higher reading level than the other series I have in the library that the kids enjoy. (AR levels 5.4 - 6.0) These will be a nice addition for more complex text!

Homes Around the World by Max Moore
This was just a great little book. The students will enjoy looking at the different kinds of homes from across our great planet. You won't find East Tennessee homes in this book. This one is a level one reader so perfect for my Kinders and 1st graders learning about different cultures.

I did find three books that I can use to teach text features.  I do recommend these titles. They were just good informational/non-fiction reads.

Why do animals become extinct? by Bobbie Kalman
Reading levels AR - 5.5 Lexile Level 850

Investigating: Why Leaves Change Their Color by Ellen Rene
Reading levels AR - 3.7 Lexile Level  650

Gray Wolves by Lynn Stone
Reading levels AR - 3.9  Lexile Level  675

Happy Reading!

Read, Read, Read - Great Books Indeed!

Happy Monday! It's a great day because I get to chat about my cool finds from last week.

This past week I finished the picture books and non-fiction books from my last book order. If you don't have I Could Do That! by Linda Arms White, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter GET THIS ONE!

 

This is just a wonderful story about Esther Morris and her suffrage work in Wyoming. It's well researched and beautifully illustrated. 

The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle, illustrated by Colleen M. Madden.

 



I had a little library love with this one. Gingerbread Man gets loose in the library. What will the librarian do? Catch him of course! It's just really cute watching him travel though the non-fiction section of the library. Would be a great read to introduce the Dewey Decimal System to lower grade students.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

 

A great autobiography of William Kamkwamba who helps save his family from the great feminine in Malawi.


How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons

I just love Gail Gibbons's books.! She researches her topics and illustrated them perfectly. With this wonderful book the students can see the whole process of "How a House is Built."

I also read:

Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons
Anaconda by Johanna Burke
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by carol McCloud, illustrated by David Messing
Late for School! by Stephanie Salmenson, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
Christmas Is... by Gail Gibbons
Centipede's 100 Shoes by Tony Ross
Don't Slam the Door! by Dori Chaconas illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Voices In The Park by Anthony Browne
Lili at Ballet by Rachel Isadora
Dragsters by Thomas K. Adamson
Endangered Bears by Bobbie Kalman and Kylie Burns
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons
(Can you tell I like Gail Gibbons books?)

Keep Reading! - You know I am!

If only reading books got my house cleaned.......

This summer I have definitely been reading more. My flower beds are weedy and  my house is dusty! My wonderful mother-in-law informed me "Dust is a country accessory!" If that's true, my house is so stylish it should be featured in HGTV magazine! (I won't insult Southern Living.)  Hmmmm, wonder if my teenager would dust for gas money? It's really not that bad, but if you come to see my house, make an appointment.

Seriously, I read some great books last week. I couldn't pick just a couple to blog about. This might be my longest post to date.   I have to mention Monet Paints a Day by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Caitlin Heimerl.

This one is just a terrific way to introduce art/artists to our students. Basically,  Ms. Danneberg has recreated a day in the life of Claude Monet. It's wonderful. Ms. Heimerl's illustrations are perfect. Would work well with a sequencing activity. Maybe I should make one. (Another reason not to dust!)

Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka is another standout.

Our math teachers could incorporate a little multiplication with this one. Little Mary does a good deed and it spreads all around. Could be used with cause and effect, manners, multiplication... Reminded me a little of another great book that I read a couple weeks ago - Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein.

Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal by Jeanie Franz Ransom, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic

This one I have to read to a certain group of 2nd graders this fall. Oh my, they love to tattle. Our school councilor will love this one. I may just save this one for her to use first. The characters are pigs.... It's the best tattletale story I've seen a while.

King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen  

Adorable little story about people who brag. Maybe they only go/teach at my school.... The class I mentioned is going to get this one read to them also! Might have to pull this one out for a certain group of 8th graders also. It's pretty funny.

Fortunately, Unfortunately by Michael Foreman

Perfect for cause and effect. I had seen this one on Pinterest. It's as cute as I had heard.

Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins, illustrated by John Manders

Yes, it's a fractured tale of Goldilocks with a totally different ending. Librarians will love this one, but so will reading teachers. No nasty porridge, just great books in this house.

Keep Reading! I will...

It's Monday and I'm reading .....What?

I have so many books to read it's hard to pick what to read next!  Oh, like I'm the only person with that problem. I read though my stack of picture books last week and honestly loved them all. The book about small game wasn't my favorite, but I got that for my little hunters... I have several of those. If I had to pick a couple stand outs, the first would be Twister by Darleen Bailey Beard, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.

This is an awesome book about, well, a twister! It's definitely going in my stack for weather week in the spring. This one is beautifully written, "The monstrous howling shakes my chest and makes my insides shiver. Then, once again, it's silent." If you can't see the tornado from the wonderful wording, there are Ms. Carpenter's illustrations that are just perfect. This one is a keeper. LOVE IT!!!

I also recommend Wolf! by Becky Bloom, illustrated by Pascal Biet.

The hungry wolf visits the farm for some lunch but gets sidetracked when he sees the animals reading. (I soooo related to this one. I have missed, delayed, and even burnt supper over a book!) This one was just too cute. Wolf, of course, has to learn how to read. Can't be upstaged by a pig... Wolf! covers the whole process our kiddies go though when learning how to read. I can't wait to read this one for story time this fall...

Finally, if you don't have The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane and Herm Auch,  GO AND GET THIS ONE!!! Can't wait to do a short story unit with my darlings this fall and I'm so going to read them this book.

Henrietta, the hen, loves to read and decides to write her own story. This delightful tale steps readers though the writing process.  (Would be a wonderful addition to a unit on elements of a story.) After Henrietta finishes her book, she has a little trouble with the publishing... It's just adorable. Can you tell I had some serious book love with this one?

This week I'll be reading:

Picture books (Easy books):

Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal by Jeanie Franz Ransom, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic
Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt
King Hugo's Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen
Prairie Chicken Little by Jackie Mims Hopkins, illustrated by Henry Cole
The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, illustrated by Giselle Potter
Fortunately, Unfortunately by Michael Foreman
Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins, illustrated by John Manders
What Are You So Grumpy About? by Tom Lichtenheld
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Jotto Seibold
Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed, by Emily Pearson, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies

Non-fiction books

A Foot in the Mouth by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka
Monet Paints a Day by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Caitlin Heimerl
Galaxies, Galaxies! by Gail Gibbons
Farming by Gail Gibbons
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson

Keep Reading! (Summer vacation will be over before we realize.....)

 

Roosters in the Library!

Today was the second week of my summer reading program. This week the theme was "Country Time". The stories were all about life on a farm. I started off with Cock-a-doodle-doo. Creak. Pop-pop. Moo  by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Brad Sneed. It's such a cute story about a family's day on the farm. This one is full of sounds for the Kinders to repeat for me. (Onomatopoeia those of us who love big words!)

 

 

We also read Chicks & Chickens by Gail Gibbons. I just love her books. This was a great little non-fiction book.  It tied into the craft activity. I had everyone create a rooster. (I got the idea from Pinterest.) Even the grand-daddies had fun.

 

The last book for the day was Thunder-Boom! by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson. We've had so many thunderstorms lately this one was perfect. I highly recommend getting this one if you don't have it.

The farm books we didn't get to, but I love: 
Barn Dance by Bill Martin
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills

Happy Reading!

Working on Vacation?

As librarians one of the most important things we do is READ. So when we go on vacation and take books to read are we working? Some could think so, but I just like to read. I fell in love with books as a preteen and still love them as a 40 something.  (We won't discuss the exact number! It's way too close to the big 5 O.....) This weekend my family traveled to Fontana, NC. Some families go to the beach; my family prefers the mountains. I don't mind either way. I'm going to hang out and read at either place!

For my Nerdy Book Challenge, my list for this week is as follows:

Chapter books:

Big Nate: Genius Mode by Lincoln Peirce
Empty Envelope by Ron Roy
Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO-Smart Miss Know-it-all by Rachel Renee Russell
Bluestar's Prophecy (Warriors series) by Erin Hunter
The Lost Stories (Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan

Picture books:

Bunny's Easter Egg by Anne Mortimer
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Non-Fiction Books:

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
Ghoulish Ghost Stories by Joan Axelrod Contrada

Professional Books:

Still reading Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work by Debbie Diller.
There's a lot to digest in this one.


It's probably an odd assortment, but I'm reading though my last book order!

Last week I read Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins. It was a different read for me. I kept thinking the whole time. "This is what would happen if you took Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid and combined him with a vamp from Twilight!" The middle kids will love these books.

My favorite picture book from last week was Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco. It was such a sweet story about an imagery friend. Loved it. Will definitely use this one with my Kinders next fall.

Happy Reading!