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.

Goodbye Stranger

I was so very thrilled to be able to read an advanced copy of Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead. She is one of my favorite authors to book talk to my sixth graders. Both When You Reach Me and Liar and Spy  are among my favorite titles. This book did not disappoint!



This novel contains two seperate stories. The reader is led back and forth between these two tales. I enjoyed how the narration was completely different from each. The first one, told over most of a school year, is of three best friends trying to make their way through seventh grade while keeping their friendship intact. They face new friends, new interests that are different from one another, gossip, boys, teachers, and issues with technology and privacy. The other story occurs on a single day of a high school girl's life. It is a flashback of events and interactions she has had with friends as she tries to avoid being discovered for skipping school on Valentine's Day. The two stories come to a surprising connection at the end.

This story addresses the very real issue teens face right now about technology and how to communicate correctly with friends and classmates. One wrong choice can be shared with hundreds now with a quick click. It also addresses the idea of "fri-enemies" and subtle bullying that can occur in middle school. Stead handles these topics with sensitivity and age appropriateness that I applaud.

I love Rebecca Stead's surprise story twists she uses for her endings and this story was no different. I knew, from my life as a reader, that these two stories would collide at the end but I could not for the life of me figure out who the high school girl was and how she would be connected to the story of the three middle school girls. Once again, as she did with both of her other two novels, I was surprised and delighted to see the way this story unfolded. Stead is a true master of story telling!

I look forward to sharing this story with students in the future! My only regret is I was only able to secure a digital early copy and therefore will struggle with how to share it with my students before it's release. The novel is set for release on August 4th of this year.   I recommend this story for all middle school readers.

Themes of family, friendship/bullying, choices teens make, and forgiveness would pair this story well with Flipped, Twerp, Because of Mr. Terupt, or Smile

Death By Toilet Paper

Check out this cover!



Who doesn't see the humor in toilet paper? Death by toilet paper? Funny, right? Wrong...
Quickly readers realize that Benjamin has had some loss in his life. Ben and his mom are left struggling emotionally and financially after the death of his father. Ben feels the weight of their financial struggles and vows to do whatever he can to help them keep their apartment, the last place they shared memories with his dad.
I loved this read. I wanted to find Benjamin and hug him at the end of each chapter. Maybe not from death, but there are LOTS of students who need this book...need to see that there are other families and kids struggling financially. I was instantly in love with and rooting for Benjamin to succeed with his plans to make money for the family.
**Similiar books, for themes, might be: Circa Now, Hold Fast, and Counting By 7's.