Pemba's Song

Book #45: Pemba's Song:A Ghost Story by Marilyn Nelson and Tonya C. Hegamin

Pemba and her mother move from Brooklyn to Connecticut. As soon as Pemba arrives at the new house, she knows something isn't right. She begins having blackouts and sees an 18th century African-American girl. Something terrible happened to Phyllys, a slave that lived in the house hundred of years earlier, and she needs Pemba's help. Working with Abraham, an eccentric old man who lives nearby, Pemba must uncover the girl's story to finally put her to rest.

This book was a quick read. I enjoyed it but would have liked a bit more meat.  My students liked this book a lot and were very excited to read it.  They breezed through it quickly and easily.  I would recommend it for about 4th to 12th grade (although the older kids may get bored with it and want more to they story just like I did.)

Catching Fire

Book #44: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This book is the sequel to the Hunger Games. **SPOILER ALERT!! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE HUNGER GAMES, AND PLAN TO, DO NOT READ THIS POST.** You've been warned. I can take no blame if you ruin your life by reading this post before you read the Hunger Games.

Seriously, these books are that good. You need to read them. And if you read this post it will just ruin the whole experience. Ok, go read.






Hope this is enough space for people to get the hint...Anyway, onto the book. I'm going to be lame again and just reproduce the blurb from the book cover.

"Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of rebellion against the Capitol--a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the Districts on the Capitols cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying."

This book was great and kept me turning the pages (I read until 2 am one night even though I had to get up at 7am...I just couldn't put it down. Then I kept thinking about it as I was trying to sleep. I even dreamed about it.)

I'm dying to read the last one, Mockingjay, which isn't even released until August 24. Ugh. That's 5 months away. Are you kidding me?

The Hunger Games

Book #43: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.


Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regard it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love."

I heard about this book through a couple of junior high English teachers who raved about it and said it was the book that changed so many kids from non-readers to avid readers. Obviously, I had to read it. I picked it up on Monday and finished Thursday. That's saying a lot considering my week (2 days of all day classes followed by 4 hours of parent-teacher conferences each night, homework for my MEd., and keeping up with my amazing social schedule). I like reading. I like a good book but I am not the kind of person who tries to read at red lights or who tries to find busy work for her students so she can read or who ignores the fact that she is exhausted and needs sleep. This book made me that person. I hardly slept, I read anywhere and everywhere.

This book is crazy good. It's exciting and has some romance. Oh, man! I want to tell you everything that happens but that would not be nice. Go get this book now!

Zlata'a Diary

I know...you had to do a complete double take but it's true...I've finally finished another book.

Book #42: Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic

From September 1991 to October 1993 Zlata Filipovic kept a diary. It began like any other 11-year-old's diary would; talk of friends, MTV, school, and piano lessons. She soon begins writing of the war that is ravaging her country. She writes of severe shortages of food, water, and gas; the end of her privilege childhood in Sarajevo. She gives vivid descriptions of how war ravages a country and affects the people.

I read this with one of my reading groups and I couldn't believe that an 11-year-old girl (a 6th grader) could write such profound things. Though she has been described as a modern Anne Frank, I don't think her diary carries as much weight as Anne Frank's does.

"The forces of war don't know anything about love and the desire to save something. They just know how to destroy, burn, take things away" (p. 53)

Poppy

Book #41: Poppy by Avi

Poppy is a young deer mouse whose troubles began when she and her boyfriend Ragweed are caught on a hill by without the permission of Mr. Ocax, a horned owl. Mr. Ocax carries out the consequence to not following his rules by killing Ragweed and Poppy manages to barely escape from his deadly talons.

After another terrifying encounter with Mr. Ocax to ask permission for her entire family to move into New Home, she is blamed on all sides by her siblings when their request was denied.

Heartbroken and lonely, Poppy sets off to New Home to see why Mr. Ocax is so afraid of letting the mice move. On her way, she meets Ereth, a grumpy porcupine. Poppy is originally scared of him because Mr. Ocax has told all the mice that porcupines kill and eat mice. Poppy soon discovers this to be a lie and begins wondering what else Mr. Ocax has lied about.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was a great representation of how bullies work. I may be reading it to my class when I go back on track.

Sent

Book #40: The Missing: Book 2 Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ok, I read the first book in this series when I student taught and loved it. That's where my author crush began. I decided to make it my first read aloud when I began teaching (I would have done it as a book group but don't have enough copies). My students absolutely loved it. When we first began reading I told them it was the first book in a series and the second one came out at the end of August. When we finished Found, my students begged me to go buy Sent, the even offered to each bring in a dollar so I would have enough money for it. I told them no but they were welcome to go buy it or check it out and read it.

A few days later, I broke down and had to buy the second book, Sent. I am so glad I did.

At the end of Found, Jonah and Chip, who are both thirteen-year-olds, are trying to contemplate the news that they're both missing children from history, kidnapped from their proper time period. Before they can fully absorb this revelation, a time purist named JB zaps Chip and another boy, Alex, back to the fifteenth century, where they supposedly belong. Because Jonah and his sister Katherine do not want to lose their friends they grab Chip's arms just as he's being sent away. As a result Jonah and Katherine also end up in the fifteenth century, where they do not belong.

Chip's true identity is Edward V, king of England, and Alex is his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York. But Chip is convinced that his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, plans to kill them and seize the throne for himself.

JB promises that if the kids can "fix time," he will allow them to return to the present day. But how can they possibly return home safely when history claims that Chip and Alex were murdered?

Now that I have read it I'm really wanting to read it to my students because it takes place in the Middle Ages (one thing I have to cover with my 6th graders) and it's just as riveting as the first. I'm stuck. I wanted to make sure I read a different genre each time I do a read aloud but now I'm torn. This book is more difficult to categorize than the first. It obviously has elements of science fiction (time travel) but it also has historical fiction (the entire story takes place from 1483-1485). Maybe I'll just call it historical fiction and read it to them.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Book #39: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town called Hard Pan (population 43) with her guardian Brigitte. Lucky became the ward of Brigitte after her mother died two years ago from being electrocuted. Brigitte is Lucky's father's ex-wife. Brigitte is asked by Lucky's father to come to the United States from France to take care of Lucky. Lucky fears that Brigitte is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan. Her experiences led her to believe that Brigitte will abandon her and return to France. This anxiety prompts Lucky to seek help from her "Higher Power", a notion she gets from eavesdropping at her town's 12-step meetings. After discovering three "signs" to leave, she runs away with her dog, HMS Beagle, and Miles but realizes she needs to come back home. Before she leaves the dugouts, she casts her mother's ashes out in the wind. Brigitte takes Lucky home and explains the papers Lucky had found in Brigitte's suitcase were actually to legally adopt Lucky.

I just read that this book has been censored by many school libraries because of the use of the word "scrotum" on the first page. Holy cow. Give it a rest. At the end of the book, Brigitte does an excellent job of telling Lucky exactly what a scrotum is. If you read it at school, yes, kids will ask about it. Is that a bad thing? Stupid people annoy me.

Rick Richter, the President and Publisher of the Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, is quoted as saying, "Simon & Schuster ultimately hopes that readers will recognize this wonderful book as a whole, and the charm and innocence of its main character Lucky, and will see beyond one word and the controversy surrounding the book. Susan Patron has written a masterful novel celebrating small town values and we can only hope that her deserved Newbery winner is recognized for the treasure that it truly is." Well said Rick, well said.

The Year of the Dog

Book #38: The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

This novel follows Pacy's adventures during the Chinese Year of the Dog. As she celebrates with her family, she finds out that this is the year she is supposed to "find herself." As the year goes on, she struggles to find her talent, makes a new best friend, and discovers just why the Year of the Dog is a lucky one for her after all.

Though this was an enjoyable book, I wanted more from it. I think it would be a great book for younger grades but it didn't have enough substance for grade 5+. I would say read it 2nd-4th grade.

I'm on a roll...2 books in less than a week

Book #37: Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

First of all, I think I have an author crush on Margaret Peterson Haddix. She's fantastic. I haven't read anything by here that is bad.

Jessie lives in Clifton, a small settlement in Indiana, during the 1840s. When kids begin to get really sick, her mother tells her that she needs to leave Clifton to get help. The only thing is, everywhere else it is actually 1996. Jessie has to cope with using a telephone and other modern day conveniences and get help for the kids and the village.

I read this because one of my reading groups is doing it and I decided I need to know what they were reading so I could follow their conversations. Man, am I glad I did. This is a great book. You could probably read it as young as 3rd grade.

Holy Cow! I Finished a Book!

Book #36: Shiloh b Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

I'm having one of my guided reading groups read this book. I figured I should know what they're reading instead of just faking it like I did for the first 2 weeks.

Shiloh is about a boy named Marty and a dog named Shiloh. Marty finds a shy beagle one day while walking. The dog follows Marty and he wants to keep him but finds out he is Judd Travers dog. Judd is mean to people and beats his dogs. Marty doesn't want to give the dog back to Judd but his parents make him. After Shiloh runs away from Judd again, Marty decides to hid Shiloh on a hill in a pen he makes. Marty has to lie and sneak around to keep his secret from coming out.

I think this is a good book for students from 3rd grade up. You can discuss right and wrong with this book. Also, it's just a good story of a boy and his dog. **Spoiler alert** Shiloh doesn't die. I was convinced he would but he doesn't. There are also 2 more books in this series.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book #35: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

This book is based on Alexie's actual life experiences.

Junior was born with water on the brain which gives him many difficulties to overcome--a studder and seizures. He is very bright and artistic though. When he receives his math book, he reads the front and sees his mom's name written in the front cover. This angers him and he decided to go to the high school in Reardon--an all white small-town school. While there he is able to overcome many difficult life situations and find people who have things in common with him.

This book was emotional and uplifting. It shows the resiliency of people in the face of adversity. Alexie writes with the wit and humor of a freshman in high school. With that in mind, this is not a book for elementary students. You may be able to bring it out in 8th grade but beware: sex and violence rear their ugly heads as much as deep and unabiding sorrow and words of encouragement.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who can accept that boys will be boys and they talk about sex and violence. It was a great book. Funny, encouraging, sad, hopeful. Everything you want in a good book.

Shooting the Moon

Book #34: Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

This book is set during the time of the Vietnam War (Conflict? I don't know what we call it now but it was a war in my mind so I'm sticking with it.). Jamie Dexter's brother TJ joins the army and Jamie is thrilled. She has grown up with a Colonel father and she and her family live and breath army life. Jamie can't wait to get letters from her brother describing battles and the sights and smells of Vietnam. But the first letter isn't a letter. It's a roll of film and Jamie learns to develop the film for her brother. As more rolls of film come to Jamie, the shiny exterior of the army begins to fade for her.

I liked this book but it wasn't one that grabbed me and made me keep reading. I think it's appropriate for grades 3+. The reading level is about a middle of 5th grade level though.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Book #33: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Milo is a boy who just doesn't know what to do with himself. When he's in school he wants to be out and when he's out he wants to be in. One day, a tollbooth appears in his bedroom and because he has nothing better to do, he uses it and is transported to a magical land of letters, numbers and nonsense. He embarks on a quest with a watchdog named Tock to rescue Rhyme and Reason. During his adventure, he finds that life is far from boring.

For me, this was a middle of the road book. Good at some parts, lost my interest at others. I ended up just reading beginnings and endings of paragraphs at some parts and completely skipping chapters because I just wanted to be done. Probably not something I should say when I talk about this book to my class.

"'I can't see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February.' And, since no one bothered to explain otherwise, he regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all." (p. 9).

This quote made me think a lot about how many people are taught in school. It's just a "learn this because you'll need it for next year" approach. If the things we're teaching our students are not more important than that, why do they need to know them? I try my hardest to give my students reasons to learn things other than "you'll need it next year." Which brings me to my first difficulty in teaching math this year. The 6th grade curriculum says 6th graders need to know how to find the prime factorization of numbers. Other than being helpful in other math operations, do you ever prime factor a number in real life? I can't think of anyone who uses this in their daily life except for math teachers. Do you know of a way I could make this part of the curriculum more realistic for my students?

Out of the Dust

Book #32 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

"Dust
piles up like snow
across the prairie,
dunes leaning against fences,
mountains of dust pushing over barns."

This book is written in free verse/journal which makes for a very quick read. It follows 14-year-old Billie Jo Kelby and her family from the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935 on a farm in Oklahoma. Life on the farm is difficult for the Kelbys due to the dust storms and drought. Many people pack up and head for California but Pa thinks things will get better. Ma becomes pregnant and the family is excited. There is some tragedy in the family's lives which pulls them apart.

I loved Hesse's poetic writing. She was able to paint such vivid pictures with so few words. This was another book that I couldn't put down and I had to finish it today. It's a great book for 4th grade on up. You could even use portions of the book to teach poetry.

"The way I see it, hard times aren't only
about money,
or drought,
or dust.
Hard times are about losing spirit,
and hope,
and what happens when dreams dry up." (p. 225)

"I'm getting to know the music again.
And it's getting to know me.
We sniff each other's armpits,
and inside each other's ears,
and behind each other's necks.
We are both confident, and a little sassy." (p. 222)

Unicorns

Book #31 Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville

Cara lives with her grandmother because her parents left her when she was a child. One day while Cara and her Grandma are out shopping a strange man starts following them. Trying to escape they run into a church and start climbing the bell tower. As the man pursues them Cara's grandmother hands her an amulet and tells her to jump off the bell tower at the 12th toll. When Cara does she finds herself in Luster, the land of the unicorns. There she befriends Lightfoot, a unicorn, the Squijum, a small squirrel like creature, and the Dimblethum, a wookie type animal. They journey through Luster in search of the Old One, pursued by the strange man and the Delvers. Along the way they meet Thomas the Tinker, a dwarf, and a dragon. Before the end Cara must face the truth about who she is and find out who the strange man is that looks familiar.

I enjoyed this book though it was pretty predictable. I would recommend it for 4-6th grades. The reading level is middle of 5th grade.

Talking Cats and Other Mothers

Book #30 Corline by Neil Gaiman

Having recently moved into a new apartment with her loving but preoccupied parents, Coraline finds herself bored one rainy day and, upon her father's suggestions, decides to explore the flat. She finds a locked door in the drawing room, which her mother opens and explains that once it led to the flat next door but was bricked up when the building (which was once a single house) was separated into apartments. That night, Coraline hears a strange noise and sees a small black shadow slip down the hall outside her bedroom and into the drawing room. When Coraline turns on the light, it has vanished, but the door which was previously closed by her mother, is slightly cracked. When she opens the door she is able to go to another apartment which is essentially the same as hers, there is even another mother and father. While there she learns to value her real parents even more.


As a elementary student, I loved being scared. This book is just scary enough to keep kids like me reading.

This is another book that many people have had a problem with. I'm not sure it it's on the censored list but people have complained. The book begins with this quote by G.K. Chesterton: "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." Even though this book is creepy, it tells kids that scary things can be overcome. Why wouldn't we want our children to get that message from a book? It's something safe. Geesh! Stupid people annoy me!

The Great Gilly Hopkins

Book #29 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins is eleven-years-old and is "nobody's kid." She wants to find and live with her beautiful mother Courtney but instead has to live with a foster family--Maime Trotter (the mom), William Ernest (freaky foster brother) and the poetry-loving black man who lives next door and is considered part of the family. Gilly hates them all at first but soon she is drawn into their circle of love. She is determined not to care about them and devises a plan to be rescued. She learns too late that she didn't want to be rescued, she just wanted to be wanted.


This is another censored book by Katherine Paterson (way to go Katherine!). I think censoring books is ridiculous. What is this? Nazi Germany? Granted, there are books that are inappropriate for certain ages (i.e. The Book Thief for 2nd graders? I think not!) but no one has the right to say no one should read a certain book. Anyway, I read an article written by her about censoring books once and she mentioned this book and the swearing that Gilly does. She said if she had had Gilly say something like "Fiddle sticks!" when she was mad Gilly would not be a believable character. Gilly is a foster kid. She's mad about things, she's going to say it like she sees it.

Censoring imagination and the real world?

Book #28 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Jess Aarons is the fastest runner at his school until a new girl (Leslie Burke) challenges him at the begging of the year. Leslie and her parents are new to the rural town and are bit odd (they don't own a TV!!). Leslie and Jess soon become friends. Leslie is imaginative in her play and it's her idea to create Terabithia, their make-believe kingdom.


I love this book! I read it because it's on the banned book list so I assumed that it would be full of vulgar comments, racism, profanity, instructions on making pipe bombs...something horrible. It wasn't. As far as I can tell is it was banned/censored because people are idiots. Leslie's family doesn't believe in God and thinks of the Bible as a fictional story. There is some mild cussing but nothing that most kids haven't heard yet--most of the "cussing" are things like this: "Next a string of cuss words..." "Billy yelled a cuss word..." . Leslie calls her parents by their first names. At the end something does happen that is difficult to deal with but I think books are a great way for children to deal with difficult issues and figure out how they will deal with that issue when it comes up in their life because it will happen.

FBI Agents, Ghosts, and International Smuggling Rings

Now that my MEd. classes are over, I've gone on a reading kick. I will accomplish this goal!

Book #27 Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ok, technically I didn't read this book this summer, I read it with my 5th grade students in April but I loved it so much that I had to write about it.

Found is the first book of the Missing series (Sent, book #2 in the series, comes out August 25, 2009. Please don't read about Sent until you read Found, it will spoil the end of Found if you do!).

Jonah is 13 and has always known he was adopted. He becomes friends with Chip who is also adopted but didn't know until he and Jonah did some investigating. They both begin receiving letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you." This leads Chip, Jonah and his sister Katherine into a mystery that involves the FBI, ghosts, smuggling and an airplane that appeared out of nowhere.

This book is written so well and is great for book groups because almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. My students were begging me to read more. It was great.

Julie of the Wolves

Book #26 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Miyax is a 13-year-old girl who's mother is dead and her father disappeared while hunting. She runs away and intends to use the survival skills her father taught her to get from Point Barrow to Point Hope. From there she hopes to get a job on a ship as a laundress or cook and work her way to San Fransisco to meet her pen pal Amy who always ends her letters with "When are you coming to San Fransisco?"

Miyax finds that the tundra of Alaska is much different than home and soon becomes lost. She remembers what her father told her and begins to use body language to communicate with a pack of wolves, hoping they will take her in and feed her.

I think this must be one of those books that I "read" in elementary school or it is very similar to another book I've read. I'm going with the I read it in school and the memory of it got lost in my brain until I rediscovered it.