Tag Archives: writing

Aug16

Summer Reading: White Fur Flying

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http://books.simonandschuster.com/White-Fur-Flying/Patricia-MacLachlan/9781442421714

White Fur Flying by Patricia McLachlan. Realistic Fiction

Zoe and her family, who foster rescued Great Pyrenees dogs, hope that their furry friends will help the new boy next door find his voice.

Themes/Content: Family, courage, rescue dogs, mutism, Great Pyrenees dogs, writing, imagination, friendship, coping, patience, parrots, first person narratives

Recommended for: Grades 4 and up, dog lovers, read aloud, role models, Adopt a Shelter Pet Month (October)

My Two Cents: This is a heartwarming story for dog lovers everywhere.  Zoe’s entire family serve as wonderful roles models.  Her mother is passionate about rescuing unwanted dogs.  Her father is a veterinarian.  Her sister Alice has a vivid imagination and see everything through the lens of an author writing a story.  Zoe is patient and courageous, especially when it come to her relationship with the new neighbor, Phillip.

Minor spolier alert:  If you’re looking for high drama, this is not the book for you.  There is just enough drama to to add a hint of danger.  This is not a tear-jerker… no dogs die in this book.

This book would make a great read-aloud for any class.  I would be the perfect choice for October, which is Adopt a Shelter Pet month.  You could even tie in community service projects with the local animal shelter.

Similar/Paired Books from EHUE Library:

  • Bial, Raymond. Rescuing Rover : Saving America’s Dogs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2011. Print.
  • Kehret, Peg. Shelter Dogs : Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 1999. Print.
  • Laidlaw, Rob. No Shelter Here : Making the World a Kinder Place for Dogs. Toronto: Pajama Press, 2012. Print.
  • McDonnell, Patrick. Mutts : Shelter Stories. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Pub., 2008. Print.
  • Nuzum, K A. The Leanin’ Dog. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2008. Print.
  • Paulsen, Jim, and Gary Paulsen. Road Trip. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2013. Print.

Favorite Quote:  “We laughed and laughed so much that Kodi woofed at us, and the sun came out from behind a cloud creeping across the yard and up the steps to warm our feet.” (MacLachlan, Patricia. White Fur Flying. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013. 47. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Simply sweet! 😀

Aug12

Summer Reading: Twerp

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http://www.markgoldblatt.com/p/books.html

http://www.markgoldblatt.com/p/books.html

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt.  Realistic Fiction.

As penance for his actions, Julian Twerski’s English teacher, Mr. Selkirk, requires him to write about the event that caused his recent suspension from school.  The project stretches through the school year as Julian avoids studying Shakespeare and avoids discussing the topic.

Themes/Content: Friendship, family, regret, bullying, writing, school, first person narratives, foreshadowing, Shakespeare, running (track), self image, Judiasm

Recommended for: Grades 6 and up, boys, reluctant readers, teaching foreshadowing

My Two Cents: This is a compelling story, set in the late 1960’s, about a boy who knows he’s done something wrong, but doesn’t want to admit it.  Each chapter chronicles another misadventure in which he tries to show that what he did to cause his suspension was not as bad as some of other things he has done in the past.  Julian is a very likable character and even though he makes a lot of poor choices, he also makes his best effort to make amends.  I can really relate to Julian because he communicates much better in writing than he does orally.  As the story progresses you can see the writing on the wall (no pun intended) as he documents his conversations.  You feel for him, when those conversations lead to misunderstandings.

The events in the story focus on Julian and his friends, all sixth graders.  Consequently there is a lot of action revolving around sixth grade boys doing typical “sixth-grade-boy” things.  There are dangerous stunts, and budding romances, and there is some language that you might expect from sixth graders out of earshot of adults.  A few of the passages might not be appropriate for some readers, but as a whole the story is very appropriate for sixth graders.

This is a good book for teaching foreshadowing because you know something bad as happened but Julian skirts the issue, leaving the reader curious about what he did.  As the story progresses, Goldblatt drops little bits and pieces of information that change your perspective about what has been written previously.  The historical backdrop does not play a very big role in this story so I put this in the category of realistic fiction rather than historical fiction.  I can recommend this a read-aloud for the right class, provided you are comfortable with the pubescent passages and text.

Similar/Paired Books from EHUE Library:

  • Aliki. William Shakespeare & the Globe. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
  • Buyea, Rob. Because of Mr. Terupt. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.
  • Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Iren. Chicken soup for the preteen soul : 101 stories of changes, choices, and growing up for kids 9-13. New York: Scholastic, 2000. Print.
  • Clements, Andrew, and Mark Elliott. Trouble-maker. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. Print.
  • Preller, James. Bystander. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2009. Print.
  • Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday wars. New York: Clarion Books, 2007. Print.
  • Shakespeare, William, David S. Kastan, and Marina Kastan. William Shakespeare. New York: Sterling, 2000. Print.
  • Shakespeare, William, William Rosen, and Barbara Rosen. The tragedy of Julius Caesar : with new and updated critical essays and a revised bibliography. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. Print.

Favorite Quote:  “Sometimes when you brace yourself for a storm, you get a gentle breeze.  The storm only comes when you’re braced for nothing whatsoever.” (Goldblatt, Mark. Twerp. NY: Random House, 2013. 16. Print.)

Final Word(s): Julian’s an honest character.  Read this one! 🙂

Jul21

Summer Reading: Hold Fast

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Hold Fast by Blue Balliett.  (@BlueBalliett) Realistic Fiction/Mystery

http://www.blueballiettbooks.com/holdfast.html

Early Pearl and her family dream of one day owning a home of their own.  Their plans are crimped however, when her father mysteriously disappears, and her apartment is ransacked and robbed.  She, her mother, Sum, and brother, Jubie, have no choice but to seek refuge at a homeless shelter.

Themes/Content: Family, home, homelessness, Langston Hughes, poetry, onomatopoeia, figurative language, etymology, vocabulary, quotes, libraries, theft, shelters, rhythm, writing, writer’s craft, text features

Recommended for: Grades 5 and up.  Learning about the plight of the homeless, learning about figurative language, teaching poetry, students who love a good mystery, discussing words and word origins, students who like books with some drama, read aloud

My Two Cents:  Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) writes, “How would children see reading differently if we taught language arts as an art appreciation class?”  Blue Balliett has created a masterful work of art filled with the commitment and courage, repetition and rhythm.  From the very first pages I wanted the Pearl family to find their dream.  They are such strong and loving family, with intelligent and compassionate parents who are providing the best for their children even though they can afford very few “material things.” They have a plan, and they hold each other up as they work toward putting that plan into action.  When Dash disappears and their home is robbed the family is shocked and devastated.  This family holds fast to each other as they persevere and face the toughest challenges they could imagine.

Balliett deftly crafts this story.  She draws on the poetry and rhythms of Langston Hughes in several ways.  Hughes writing provides the Pearls their smooth soulful voices.  Every conversation is poetry.  Hughes’ poetry and writing also play a significant role in the mystery of Dash’s disappearance. Balliett does a brilliant job of weaving the story with word play and figurative language.  Words are tossed and twisted and taken apart.  You’ll have blast finding those gems.

This book would make a great dramatic read aloud.

Similar/Paired books from EHUE Library:

  • Bauer, Joan. Almost home. New York: Viking, 2012. Print.
  • Bunting, Eve. Fly away home. New York: Clarion Books, 1991. Print.
  • Burleigh, Robert. Langston’s train ride. New York: Orchard Books, 2004. Print.
  • Carlson, Natalie S. The family under the bridge. New York: Harper/Trophy, 1958. Print.
  • Clements, Andrew. Room one : a mystery or two. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006. Print.
  • Cooper, Floyd. Coming home : from the life of Langston Hughes. New York: Putnam & Grosset, 1998. Print.
  • DiCamillo, Kate. Great joy. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2007. Print.
  • Hughes, Langston. The dream keeper and other poems : including seven additional poems. New York: Knopf, 1994. Print.
  • Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Pub., 2006. Print.
  • Lewis, Barbara A. The kid’s guide to service projects : over 500 service ideas for young people who want to make a difference. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub., 2009. Print.
  • O’Connor, Barbara. How to steal a dog : a novel. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
  • Perdomo, Willie. Visiting Langston. New York: H. Holt, 2002. Print.
  • Perkovich, Olugbemisola R. 8th grade superzero. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010. Print.

Favorite Quote: “Reading is a tool no one can take away.  A million bad things may happen in life and it’ll still be with you, like a flashlight that never needs a battery.  Reading can offer a crack of light on the blackest of nights.”  (Balliett, Blue. Hold fast. New York: Scholastic Press, 2013. 166. Print.)

The Final Word(s): Wow-ow! Read it! 😀

Jul18

Teach Mentor Texts: TMT Labels

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I am frequently asked for recommendations for books that can by used to teach a specific skill, particularly a writing skill.  Often times that leaves me scrambling and Googling to find some choices for the teacher.  Teach Mentor Texts is a blog that “focuses on sharing books that can be used to promote all areas of literacy.”  Language Arts teachers should check out this blog.  When you do, visit the “TMT Labels” page:

Teach Mentor Texts: TMT Labels.

This page features a glossary of all of the labels that Jen and Kellee have used to tag the books.  Then check out the word cloud in the right hand navigation bar.  Click on one of the tags and… “Presto!” you have books that match with that skill. The book reviews are very thorough (similar to the ones posted here but much more detailed.)

Read more: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/
Kellee is now blogging at  http://www.unleashingreaders.com/

Jul14

Writing and Awesomeness

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I somehow stumbled onto Jeff Goins Writer via someone else (a tweet, a post, who knows… sorry, I’ll never be able to track it back and give credit…)  The post that caught my attention was actually written by a guest author, Nick Thacker.  (Three Signs you’ve Found Your True Passion… I believe I have by the way… especially #2.)

After reading the above post, I started to peruse the other posts and investigate the blog.  Jeff Goins offers advice and guidance to aspiring writers; “Regular Doses of Inspiration and Awesome.” As someone new to the blogging world, and slightly intimidated by allowing the world to peak into my thoughts, I was simultaneously excited, intrigued, and terrified by this find.  One of the next posts that I read was “Five Weak Words that Make your Writing Less Effective.” I was a little freaked out.  Who know how many I had already used?  I’d read only one post and I already felt so inadequate.  A quick scan of some of the other posts and I knew had come across a valuable resource.

Needless to say I will be following this blog.  Although this blog appears to be written for “writers,” as teachers, our goal is to cultivate writing in our classroom.  I can’t help but think that just by ingesting some of his inspiration and awesome we can help our students develop into skillful writers as well.

Jul12

Summer Read: Same Sun Here

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Same Sun Here

http://neelavaswani.com/cms/uploads/0-gaiw.jpg

Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, Illustrated by Hilary Schenker. Realistic Fiction.

Pen pals, Meena and River, become fast friends as they discover that they have much more in common than they ever thought possible.  Told via alternating bits of correspondence, the story spans an entire school year, with happy, sad, and uncomfortable conversations along the way.

Themes/Content: Friendship, writing, culture, India, Kentucky, social activism, environment, immigration, citizenship, coal mining, mountain top removal, stereotypes, prejudice, Appalachia, family, poetry, voice, presidential elections, Barak Obama

My two cents:  Recommended for grades 5 and up.  I really wanted to love this book, but I had a hard time believing it.  Meena begins the conversation by asking River to be completely open and honest in his writing…. and surprisingly he actually is!  I know it’s possible for two kids to be so forthcoming so quickly, but it’s just not believable.  Their correspondence is also full of political overtones.  Again, not to say that two sixth graders would not ever discuss presidential elections and environmental activism, they just seem mature beyond their years. (Be aware that a few of their conversations may not be suitable for everyone.)

(Spoilers ahead…) Finally, there is also just a little too much coincidence for this to be believable.  They both have fathers whose work keeps them away from home for long periods of time; they both have extremely wise, caring  and strong grandmothers; their homesteads are impacted by greedy companies destroying the environment;  River’s school gym is crushed by a boulder dislodged as a result of mountain top mining; River ends up on the cover of Time magazine … Sorry, but there are just way too many cards falling into place…

Favorite Quote: “I like that library books have secret lives. All those hands that have held them. All those eyes that have read them.” (House, Silas; Vaswani, Neela (2012-02-14). Same Sun Here (Kindle Locations 741-742). Candlewick Press. Kindle Edition.)

The Final Word: So-so. 😐