May Favorites

Favorite books from my classroom currently -

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
This author has been a favorite of mine for a while now, but most of his stuff I had read was for older readers. This series is the answer. It is about tough topics: broken families, domestic violence, and financial needs...Ghost has the chance to turn his emotions around through the partaking in a track team, if only he can stay out of trouble!

Refugee by Alan Gratz


This book blew me away when I first read it. Three stories, three time periods, three children who are fighting to survive and escape countries where they are in danger. It was gripping and emotional and expertly written. Alan Gratz is a favorite author among my students for his historical fiction and this book continues that title.









Restart by Gordon Korman
I am a strong believer in every middle school reader tackling a Gordon Korman book. He has a variety of genres and subjects to select. He is a master at his craft without his books being overdone. Kids love him! Chase has fallen off his roof and doesn't remember anything, which makes him an interesting narrator to follow. The other narrators do remember his "before the fall" antics of bullying and meanness. They are not all ready to trust and welcome this new kind and friendly Chase, especially his two best friends who are wondering what he does truly remember?







Hazardous Tales collection by Nathan Hale
Kids like nonfiction, just like they like fiction - it just has to be GOOD! These tales from Nathan Hale are good! This writer uses the fun idea that he shares a name with a famous spy and uses the spy, Nathan Hale, as a narrator to tell other tales from history as a way to avoid being hanged for his crimes. Full of wonderful details and some humor, these books are graphic novel in format and a favorite of many readers.

He has a new book coming out in December about Wesley Powell, a one-armed geologist, credited with the first government backed exploration of the Grand Canyon area. Like all of his books, I am hoping this one continues with same humor and a bit of gross that the other books have contained!

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
Through a series of events a group of juiville delintents find themselves unsupervised on a dark and scary island which is the detention center they have been sent to to serve their time. Do they band together to survive, turn on one another, or reach out for help? All of this while the narrator still doesn't seem to admit what he did to get him sent to this place. Part mystery and part action adventure, Scar Island is a definite page turner! 

Award winning book

I just finished Renee Watson's book, Piecing Me Together. It was awarded a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award this year.

This is an important read. I was able to walk through the story with a young girl of color living with financial struggles and trying to better her future. Even though I did not live her life, I could absolutely connect with her on a personal level when she was unsure of herself and struggling with friendships. That is what makes a quality read. You learn about someone else's life, but still realize we are all trying to figure out this world in our own way. The main character, Jade, is a talented artist and that was a great story line as well as the perfect ending to the story.
This was an excellent realistic fiction read. I would suggest it to anyone who has not always felt like they fit it, or someone wanting to read a bit about racial issues in today's society.

Worth it

I just finished Cinder by Marissa Meyer - such a fun read! Others have said it is Cinderella meets sci-fi and yes, it definitely is!

Cinder is a cyborg and tries to hide that from the prince of the land as she spends more time with him under the idea that she is a great mechanic who can help fix his droid. His droid is obviously hiding some great information that might help him avoid marrying an evil queen from the moon. Meanwhile people continue to become infected by a deadly disease and Cinder decides she is going to try and run away from the madness.
If you have read the following titles you might like Cinder:
Uglies series
The Selection series
Red Queen
Delirium series

Summer Titles

As a teacher, I am always hopeful that my students will have enjoyed the great pleasure that a good book brings ENOUGH that they want to continue to search out books for themselves over the summer. I also hope they return to tell me about great books they have read...Here are some I have recently enjoyed and have recommended to some students to try this summer -



Oh MAN!! This series....The Raven Cycle, usually I will read the first book in a series so that I can booktalk it to my students and move on. It is a true compliment if I WANT to continue reading a series. This series is absolutely worth it!! I have read all three (I read The Raven Boys over again, as I had first read it a few years ago) all over the last month.



I am currently reading the last book in the series, but the twist and turns have left me on edge about how the author will leave these characters. There is magic, death, love, true friendship, fantasy, creatures, adventure and fighting! Everything needed for a great read!

Another book I highly recommend is Booked by Kwame Alexander. It is a realistic fiction book written in free verse poetry. It tells the story of a middle school student dealing with friends, family, sports and most of the "normal" going ons of a tween. Absolute must read for boys and girls over their middle school "careers!

It is the author's second free verse poetry novel. He won the Newbery for his book, Crossover, and that is a great read as well!



Another great title I recently read is Zane and the Hurricane.

This one had been on my shelves for a few years and I finally read it because a group of my 6th graders selected it as their book club book. I was excited to read it with them!
It tells, in a very appropriate for middle school way, the events leading up to and directly after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. This is a true historical event for students I see, but I can vividly remember watching the news, waiting for news from friends effected, and helping to raise money afterwards. Zane, the main character, is a sweet and kind boy who ends up visiting family as the storm is hitting New Orleans. He experiences the hurricane and the flood of the lower ninth ward neighborhood directly after the storm. Students were begging for more reading time during this one!

Fantastic poetry!

Sent from my iPhoneThis book blew me away! I stumbled upon it while trying to pick up a copy of Helen Frost's SALT at my local bookstore. It is a realistic fiction story of the students and teacher within a school year. The whole novel is a collection of free verse poems from each character. I think it is going to be a perfect read aloud this year, begging for second reads and mentor text.
I am also waiting for SALT, because I think it will be just as wonderful. This book would pair well with FLYING SOLO, BECAUSE OF MR. TERUPT, OPERATION YES or maybe even LOVE THAT DOG.

Vacation Reading

Our family spent a wonderfully relaxing week in northern Michigan last week. We had lots of sand and sun time, but I also lucky to find plenty of reading time. I cannot resist an independent book store and many towns in northern Michigan have at least one. They always earn a sale from me!
I finished the following books, in no particular order, last week:


Circus Mirandus  - 5/5 - A magical blend of storytelling at it's finest. This story centers around a young boy dealing with the illness of his grandfather, which brings on a nasty visit from his aunt. With the possibility of losing his beloved grandfather, Micah attempts to venture to the magical circus his grandfather is always telling him stories about experiencing. Micah believes the key to possibly saving his grandfather's life might be at Circus Mirandus. Along the way, Micah encounters the what true friendship might really be after all.
The way the author, Cassie Beasley, dealt with large issues of death, family, and friendship with stay with me for a very long time. Beautiful writing throughout this book. A definite must read for anyone who has also enjoyed Snicker of Magic or Clockwork Three or even Real Boy. Themes of friendship, death, loss, and friendship.



The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate  - 5/5 - I fell in love with Calpurnia in the first book in this series and that love grew during this second book. This series, set at the turn of the century, follows the only girl in a large Texas family. Instead of being content to learn the ways of "being a young lady of the house", Calpurnia instead has dreams of learning as much as she can about nature and science with her educated grandfather. With a brother who is constantly bringing home "orphaned" animals and a new vet in town to work for, Calpurnia definitely will be adding new information to her science journal. I found much more humor in this story compared to the first, and I enjoyed the events of the Galveston hurricane that occurred in the early 1900's being a large part of the story.



Stella by Starlight  - 5/5 - Sharon Draper is a favorite of my classes with a popular read aloud each year being Out Of My Mind. This might be my new favorite Draper read! Based on stories from her father and a journal left from her grandmother, Draper weaves a historical fiction tale that needs to be read by middle schoolers. The main character, Stella, lives in a small town in North Carolina that is very separated. This all comes to a head when the Klu Klux Klan becomes active in the town and Stella and her brother witness it.
There are moments of fear and moments of triumph that move this story to the top of my future read aloud list with students. Those that have enjoyed books by Christopher Paul Curtis or are looking for their next favorite historical fiction novel - need to read this!



The Honest Truth - 5/5 - Brillant book! I am still having trouble putting this book into words to share without sharing too much. The story is told by jumping back and forth between Mark and his best friend. Mark, the main character, has decided to run away from home and climb a mountain he has always dreamed of climbing as a way to escape some news about his health. His best friend, Jess, may know where Mark is headed and has the tough decision of keeping the secret or telling. It is gritty and real and just so well done. I was openly sobbing through parts of this book. The writing is perfect!



Rain Reign - 5/5 - Rose has gotten a dog from her father. The only gift he has really ever brought her and he brought it home from the back of the neighborhood bar. She names the dog Rain, because she loves names that are homophones, and now has a best friend. But stories can't end there! A hurricane blows through and Rose's father lets Rain out...Rose will find Rain no matter what the cost.
This would be a great book to pair with Rules or Because of Winn Dixie. Ann Martin just writes characters we can fall in love with!


Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk - 4/5 - Great twist on the classic Jack In The Beanstalk with a little bit of Jack the Giant Killer thrown in. Anyone who has read Rump or wants a fun twisted fairy tale should pick this one up soon! This author also has another twisted fairy tale coming out this spring called Red. Should be equally good!



Better Nate Than Ever - 5/5 - Nate is running away from home! Well, only for the day and only to audition for a play. If everything works out he will be into New York City, auditioned, and back home before his parents even notice...but things rarely work out the way they should. Great, fun read with themes of friendship and being true to yourself. The sequel is out and I am looking forward to reading that soon.

So Many Great New Books!

While I do spend a lot of my time reading, I have gotten a bit more time added to my life because my classroom has a student teacher right now who has taken over the full time teaching and grading. Here are some middle grade novels that are new releases that I enjoyed!

I Kill The Mockingbird - 4/5 stars. Three friends decide that the best way to honor a former teacher who has recently passed away would be to make To Kill A Mockingbird the must read book of the summer in their town. Their plot is so successful that the book becomes the center of a revolution of sorts and the trio must decide how to end the ordeal! I REALLY enjoyed this story! I loved all of the nods to other literature I have read. The innocent love story that develops throughout between Lucy (narrator) and Michael is totally believeable and fun to follow.  I thought the characters were likeable, but a rare find in today's world. Are there kids, tweens, eighth students who speak to their friends like these characters do? Probably, but not in great numbers...unfortunately.  And that combined with the background knowledge of literature I feel a reader would need to truly understand the references to the literature discussed in the novel, were what kept this book being rated a 5/5. I think it would be a great follow up to a student who actually reads To Kill A Mockingbird or a great read aloud so that the references could be discussed. It is a clever plot line. In much the same way that that I feel about Breadcrumbs, which is a fantastic read but needs fairy tale knowledge to understand many references, a reader who does not have background knowledge of more classic literature, mainly To Kill A Mockingbird, will miss so much while reading.  



Fish In A Tree - 5/5 stars - Ally is constantly in trouble and is no fan of school, but when a new teacher begins that might all be changing!
My favorite read over the last few weeks! I think I might make this my new read aloud for the beginning of the school year since so many of my students now come in having read Wonder , my favorite 6th grade read aloud, in elementary school. I think this will be a beautiful way to launch the school year and give us a common character to root for, as we do when we read about Auggie in Wonder. Readers who have loved Wonder, Flying Solo, and Because of Mr. Terupt should check this out too!



Great Greene Heist - 4/5 stars - Reformed Con man, Jackson Greene, might decide to come out of retirement if Keith Sinclair really decides to run for school president! Clever schemes, quick banter, and mulitple story lines that include crushes, gross lunch room food, and family interactions make this a must read for all middle school kids.
 FUN FUN FUN read! This is Ocean Eleven meets Middle School! I loved the multiple characters and story lines. The story was fast paced and clever. Definitely going on my read aloud list. Kids who liked Fourth Stall but haven't found much since that is similiar might enjoy this read. This book might pair well with Swindle as well.