Monday, July 31, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.

I'm so excited because this is the third week in a row that I've been able to post, I've been able to read a lot and I stepped outside my comfort zone this week and did something that I wouldn't normally do. I'm not willing to share yet what I did. But if we ask our kids to step out of their comfort zones to push their learning, shouldn't we be willing to do the same thing?

33118312The first book that I read was Refugee by Alan Gratz. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. Wow, just wow! This book was INCREDIBLE!! This book has been talked about on Twitter for a while. I knew that I would need to get my hands on a copy. When I went to the Scholastic Reading Summit I was lucky enough to get a copy from Mr. Schu! This book is such a powerful read, one that everyone needs to read. It is so timely given everything that is happening in our world. Alan Gratz has created characters that grab you by the heart and don't let go. This is when book that I will never forget. If you haven't gotten a copy, you need to get one now! Click here to can hear Alan Gratz read an excerpt the book on Scholastic's Soundcloud. You can also hear many other authors and educators discussing a variety of topics.

Sorry for the short post today. I'll post later on this week about Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, Prince and Pirate by Charlotte Gunnufson and The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken.

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)

Monday, July 24, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.

I've got three books that I've been reading this past week, a picture book, a middle grade book, and a professional book! I've been tweeting more this week as well. Attending the Scholastic Reading Summit had a lot to do with that. But it felt great to be connected with my PLN again. 

Here Comes Teacher Cat by [Underwood, Deborah]The picture book that I read was Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood and illustrations by Claudia Rueda. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. This is another great addition to her cat series. I have loved the cat, but I think that this one is my favorite! These books have just the right amount of text to not be overwhelming to the beginning readers. With having a small amount of text, there can be lots of questions that parents and teachers can ask using the illustrations as a spring board for kids to form their answers. Speaking of the illustrations, Claudia Rueda has done another wonderful job bring cat's adventures to life. I was provided this book by Penguin Young Readers. This book will be published on August 8, 2017. I think I will have to buy another copy of this book for my library because I want to keep a copy for myself. My hope one day is to meet Deborah and have her sign my book! 
  
25753092The middle grade book that I read was Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. My first reaction when started reading this book was, how much time do I have? I That thought was because I knew that I was going to need to read until I finished this book! The more I read, the more I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed the journey that Laurel took me on. I felt like I was a fly living on Orphan Island. According to Mr. Shu, there are lots adults who get to the end of the book and are so upset at the way it ends. On the other hands lots of kids really like the ending. I found myself in agreeing with the kids. Once I reached the end, I was sad that it was over but I felt it was the perfect ending for the book. This is a must read, if you haven't already!

30329718The professional book that I read was Kids Deserve It!: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. I had the pleasure of meeting Todd Nesloney in February 2017 in Florida. We are both on advisory boards for Scholastic Book Fairs. I learned a lot from talking and listen to him share ideas and information during our meetings. I knew that he had co-wrote a book, but it took me this long to get a hold of it. I'm glad I waited until the summer to read it, so that I can really think about the ideas that he and Adam Welcome wrote about. I read this book in three days. It was a very easy read, but it made me think quite a bit as I was reading. As I enter year 22 in my teaching career, this book reinforced that I need to continue to push myself to grow for my students. One of the most important ideas that I'll take from this book is to remember to celebrate even the smallest successes. Being in the library I see every student in the school. Many times it is one of the few places some of my school's neediest/behavior challenged kids are successful. I try to call home to give them a positive phone call because that is not the normal phone call for them. I do really well until about the middle of the year. I'm making it my goal to do better this coming year. I enjoyed this book so much, I even picked up a copy for my principal.

What have you been reading?

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)

Monday, July 17, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme was started by Sheila at Book Journey. The kid's version was started by Jen at Teach Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers.

It feel so strange to be blogging again. I have really let this slide, but something had to give and this was it. I have been feeling terribly guilty about not blogging and have avoid reading most blogs that I do follow so I didn't add to the guilt. There is also a lot of changes coming to my job this next year, which we were told at the end of the school year. So I'm trying to plan for a new normal. I took a great vacation with my parents to celebrate their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary to Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. On this vacation I took time to do a lot of quiet reflection on life, school, and everything in between (without doing any actual "work"). Sometimes I think that I have placed too much pressure on myself to do everything and I find myself doing nothing. So I taking this time as redo on my "New Year". I have been actually doing some reading, which I had stopped doing and I'm starting to blog again with this post. My goal is to work up to twice a week, but for now I will be happy posting every Monday!

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn HiltonI have read two really great historical fiction books. The first was Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. There is so much to like about this book that is written in verse. This book was set in the late 1960's when there was a lot going on that our students have never experienced. For example, when girls could only take home economics and boys could only take shop. The main character, Mimi, is a African American Japanese girl, who moves from a progressive California to a not as progressive Vermont. The racial experiences that Mimi deals with are written appropriately for the middle grade audience. I loved how Mimi is very enthusiastic about science, especially space. It is great to see a female character interested in science. I will admit, that going into this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But the more I read, the more I couldn't stop reading. This book is a MD Black-Eyed Susan (state book award) nominated book for the 2017-18 school year. I can't wait to book talk this book for my students next year.

32614258The second historical fiction book I have read was Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy. Click here for a summary on Goodreads. From the first chapter, this book drew me in and didn't let me go. I started reading this book the night before I left on my 16 day vacation. I got to page 146 before I had to leave for the airport. Since I was already packed, I couldn't bring it along with me. And I had received my copy from Penguin Young Readers, so that meant that it wasn't published yet and I couldn't even buy an electronic copy! I thought about this book every day while I was on vacation. It had a hold on me and wasn't going to let go until I finished it. My first night back, after I unpacked and started on my laundry, I had to finish it. I wish we could all have a Miss Millie in our lives to offer those little nuggets of advice when we truly need it. This book tackles a lot in it pages: moving, absentee father, deaf brother, Alzheimer's, racism, and death. But even with all these heavy issues to deal with there is a lightness about this book. There is one quote from Miss Millie that stuck with me, especially given the beginning of this post, "I learned it's okay to get mad. It's okay to get sad, but after all that gettin' mad and sad, ya gotta get smart. Ya gotta take a step back, away from all your hurtin', and figure out what ya can change and what ya can't." I've typed this up to put on my desk at school, so that I can remember this wonderful piece of advice. This book made a very big impact on me and it is one that I won't ever forget!

What great books have I missed since March?

Happy Reading!!

Stacey (@libraryjo92)