Happy Birthday, Auggie!

Versailles Middle School has completed reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  Even though the reading is over, the lessons and discussions continue.

On October 10, sixth grade students celebrated Auggie's birthday. The students brought in cards and gifts for him.  Whether it was a new puppy or a Star Wars art set, the students showed that they knew Auggie and thought about what he would like best.

Here is one of my favorite gifts for Auggie...

After sharing their gifts, students celebrated by singing to Auggie and eating cake! While I do not have any pictures of my homemade cakes (including the one with smooshed icing because my daughter's gym bag landed on top of it during our ride to school that morning), I do have this picture of AUGGIE COOKIES!  Our fifth, seventh, and eighth graders ate these yummy cookies baked by Aunt Julie's Cookies and More.

Stay tuned for details about our Skype visit with R.J. Palacio as well as a special standing ovation for some very WONDER-ful kids!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T  :)

P.S.  Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Wonder

The wonder that is Wonder has hit Versailles Middle School in rural Ohio.  All students in fifth through eighth grades have met Auggie and have heard his story.

Our experience started one day last spring as an innocent conversation over lunch.

"I've heard of schools that select one book to read. I wonder if we could do that here."

"Have you read Wonder by R.J. Palacio?"


Here are some of our plans that have transpired since that initial lunchtime conversation...

*Middle school teachers read Wonder at the end of last year and over the summer and agreed that this book would be the perfect way to begin a new school year.

*Our principal ordered all of our language arts teachers a copy of Wonder to be read aloud to the students.

*Parents were invited to join in the reading of Wonder.  A letter was sent out during the first week of school inviting them to read along with their child.  Parents secured a copy of Wonder at the bookstore of their choice, at a local library, or sent in payment to their child's teacher for the book to be ordered for them.  A total of 79 books were ordered and delivered to parents!

*Tomorrow, October 10 is Auggie's birthday! Students will be signing the Choose Kind pledge HERE.  (Random House Children's Books will donate $1 to PACER'S National Bullying Prevention Center for every pledge in October.)  Students will also be signing two huge "Choose Kind" signs that will hang in our hallway at school. Some classrooms have planned a birthday celebration to include cupcakes and 'gifts' for Auggie.  A post will run later this week with a wrap-up of our festivities.   

*Parents are invited to join a Skype visit with author R.J. Palacio on Wednesday, October 17. Our fifth through eighth grade students will meet R. J. Palacio via Skype in our theater. I will be sure to post about our meeting after it takes place.

*On October 22 at 7:00-8:00 in the evening, parents who have read Wonder are invited to a Grand Discussion.  Parents and students will come together for an evening of discussion around Auggie's story.  It is our goal to provide parents and their child with the time to share a great book and a fun evening in which to discuss it.

Our students and staff feel blessed to have shared this story together. So many valuable discussions have resulted.  Following are some more ideas that our teachers have used with students in their classrooms...

**There is a weekly quote in my classroom.  The students write our weekly quote in their Language Arts notebook each Monday.  Attendance is taken every day with each student repeating the weekly quote.  After six weeks, the students can recite all of the weekly quotes we have had since the beginning of school! 

Week 1 Quote = "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -Aesop

Week 2 Quote = "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind." -Wonder

Week 3 Quote = "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up." -Jesse Jackson

Week 4 Quote = "Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns."  -Author Unknown

Week 5 Quote = "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." -Mother Teresa

Week 6 Quote = "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." -Seneca

Week 7 Quote = "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Plato

**I have been sharing the CCA (Children's Craniofacial Association) Kids Blog with my students.  They are amazed by the stories of the kids that we have read there.  Most recently, Peter's story has touched us. He and Auggie share so many similarities.  

**One of our seventh grade teachers had her students draw a picture of what they thought Auggie looked like as she read.  She then held the pictures up in front of the class and they had a discussion about their reactions to the drawings and how those reactions would be similar or different if they met Auggie face to face.  This led to a discussion on empathy and acceptance. "It was very powerful," said the teacher.

**The seventh grade teachers had their classes write letters to Julian's mother after learning how Mrs. Albans felt about Auggie being at school with her son.  The letters were written in groups and contained powerful words for Julian's mother.


Versailles Middle School says, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUGGIE!"  We will keep everyone updated on our celebrations, our Skype visit with R.J. Palacio, and our Grand Discussion coming up at the end of October.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T  :)

P.S.  Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

A Diamond in the Desert

World War II + baseball + short chapters + great story = Kathryn Maurice's newest novel A Diamond in the Desert.

For Tetsu, baseball is so much more than just a game.

On December 6, 1941, Tetsu is a twelve-year-old California boy who loves baseball. On December 7, 1941, everything changes. The bombing of Pearl Harbor means Tetsu's Japanese-American family will be relocated to an internment camp.

Gila River camp isn't technically a prison, but with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no time frame for leaving, it might as well be. So when someone has the idea of building a baseball diamond and starting a team, Tetsu is overjoyed. But then his sister gets dangerously sick, forcing him to choose between his family and his love of the game.

An ARC of A Diamond in the Desert provided by *Worch Library* went in and out of my sixth graders' hands this past spring. I wanted to read it, yet it was never on the shelves to pick up for myself. Waiting until the summer was hard but very rewarding as I finally had the chance to read through Fitzmaurice's latest book.

No wonder this book was always checked out from my classroom! It has everything my sixth graders want in a book.

1. Baseball - Need I say more?
2. World War II - I have readers who seek out each and every historical fiction read on my shelves that take place during World War II.
3. A Fantastic Beginning - I only had to read the first page to hook readers into this book.

Gila River was the place where my eight-year-old sister, Kimi, learned to go to the bathroom with a white cotton pillowcase pulled over her head. It was Mama who came up with the idea after a week of Kimi refusing to go.

The pillowcase, Mama said, took the place of the walls and doors that weren't in the latrine, and gave some privacy from others sitting close by trying to use the bathroom, too.

"No one will see you through it," Mama promised. "Yes, you'll be able to breathe. The air can get in."

Then she stood for three long minutes with the pillowcase over her own head to prove this.

4. Short chapters - This is such a lure for my students. (I don't mind short chapters either!)
5. A great story - I was pleased to find out by reading the Author's Note that many of the events in the book really happened.

I will definitely be booktalking A Diamond in the Desert this fall. I will have no problem lining up interested students to read this one.

Visit the author's website HERE. Click HERE to view the book trailer made by a librarian that I will use in the classroom. I love the images that make up this trailer!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Little Dog, Lost

Marion Dane Bauer’s recent book, a novel in verse, is one that all children will love. Little Dog, Lost is about Buddy…

“Little black dog with brown paws
and a brown mask
and a sweet ruffle of brown fur on her bum
just beneath her black whip of a tail.
Satiny coat.
Ears like airplane wings
that drop
just at the tips.”

Buddy once had a family. She had a boy, a mom, a dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles, too. But her family has to move to the city. Buddy is left with a strange woman who doesn't seem to know much about dogs. Buddy escapes the yard and leaves behind the only home she has left in order to find her boy.

Meanwhile, the reader meets another boy named Mark. Mark does not have a dad or brother or sister or even a cousin. Mark desperately wants a dog.  His mother is the mayor of the town.  She will not let Mark have a dog.

Readers also meet Charles Larue, a lonely man in an enormous house.

“So many stories hidden
in even the smallest town.
So many stories
waiting
to be revealed.”

And so, this is a story about longing. As Marion Dane Bauer writes,

"So much longing.
So many lives
filled
with longing.

It’s what stories---
all our stories---
are made of.”

FOUR PAWS up for this delightful read.  I know many readers who will like this book.  I always have readers looking for novels in verse, and this one is perfect.  I wonder if any of my students will recognize the alliteration, assonance, consonance, and repetition used in Little Dog, Lost.

I will be putting this book in the hands of as many readers as I can.  A perfect book to read alone or to read aloud.  

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!
**Copy provided by Worch Library. Thank you!

World Book Night was a SUCCESS!
Just look at these faces!

I gave away The Hunger Games at a junior high track meet.

I could have had five times the books to give away,

and I still would not have made everyone happy!

That was the only disappointment...not having MORE books to give!

Maybe someday I will win the lotto. I will buy tons of amazing books and become The Book Giver!

Seriously, it was an amazing night! Readers were smiling and hugging their books!

Readers were grateful to receive a book and many promised to pass the book along to another reader, neighbor, friend, sibling, or parent to share the joy of reading.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible...

**World Book Night USA! Click HERE to visit their website.

Click HERE to view **The Board of Directors for World Book Night in the U.S. as well as **The Advisory Council.

**UPS! They sponsored the delivery of 25,000 boxes of books across America!

**The printers and paper supplies! Find a list at the World Book Night USA website.

**The publishers and trade sponsors! This list can also be found at the World Book Night USA website.

**Booksellers and libraries across the nation served as book pick-up locations.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

World Book Night 2012

It's here! It's here! It's World Book Night!

World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books to be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out FREE World Book Night paperbacks.

I am very fortunate and grateful to be a World Book Night giver! It thrills me to be giving away twenty FREE copies of THE HUNGER GAMES this evening! I have chosen to give out the books at a junior high track meet. Students at my school have already heard about World Book Night and to say they are enthusiastic is a bit of an understatement. It will be my goal tonight to put these books into hands of light or nonreaders who need that 'just right' book to experience the joy of reading.

Thank you to those who support and make World Book Night possible.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

The Hunger Games

Read The Hunger Games.

Just Read It.

I finally did.

Now would someone please find me a copy of Catching Fire?

Quickly!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

P.P.S. Stay tuned for a special announcement about World Book Night! It's a celebration of reading and books which will see tens of thousands of people share books with others in their communities across America to spread the joy and love of reading on April 23.

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen

A: She has a crazy sense of humor and a mad talent for hula hooping.

Q: Who is author Donna Gephart?

A: This new book about a trivia obsessed girl arrives in bookstores Tuesday, March 13.

Q: What is Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen?


RUN! Don't walk. RUN to your nearest bookstore on Tuesday, March 13, and pick up a copy of Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart.

Why? Because it's Donna Gephart's new book, for goodness sake! You've read How to Survive Middle School. You've checked off As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! on your TBR list. Now it's time to read another Gephart gem! It's Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen.

"Olivia Bean knows trivia. She watches Jeopardy! every night and usually beats at least one of the contestants. If she were better at geography, she would try out for the show's kids' week. Not only would she win bundles of money, she'd get to go to the taping in California, where her dad, who left two years ago and who Olivia misses like crazy, lives with his new family.

"One day Olivia's friend-turned-nemesis, Tucker, offers to help her bulk up her geography knowledge. Before Olivia knows it, she's getting help from all sorts of unexpected sources: her almost-stepdad, superannoying Neil; her genius little brother, Charlie; even her stressed-out mom."

Will Olivia's dream to appear on Jeopardy! come true? Will Olivia be supported by all the members of her family? Or will one family member disappoint her yet again?

I LOVED Olivia! I have so many students, boys and girls, who will love Olivia and her not-so-trivial story! I not only loved Olivia, I loved Olivia's younger brother, Charlie; he was such a sweetie. I loved his hankering for gross trivia. (Did you know there are 516,000 bacteria in each square inch of armpit? Charlie does!)

Even though it took Olivia some time to warm up to Neil, her mom's boyfriend, I knew from the moment that he belted out Aretha (not to mention the fact that he's a librarian) that he was going to be one of the good guys in the story.

I was impressed by Tucker and enjoyed him immensely. What a super 'frenemy'.

Donna wove pieces of herself into Olivia, and I loved loved loved what she did with the Hula-Hoop incident. I knew I had to keep reading to find out what that was all about and why it tortured Olivia. And then I read about the fifth grade talent show and how Tucker was waiting offstage and what he said and how he said it and how Olivia finally realized HOW he said it....Oh my! No spoilers here! You must read this one for yourself!

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a keeper! It has found a special place in my classroom library and has already been read by several students. Everyone who has read Olivia has loved their time spent with this special young lady.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up off the bookshelf and take it home with you!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

World Read Aloud Day 2012

Celebrate the Power of Words and Stories and Take Action for Global Literacy with LitWorld.

At least 793 million people in the world cannot read or write. Imagine your world without words.

On March 7th, 2012, LitWorld, a global literacy organization based in New York City, will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day. World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

To learn more about LitWorld and to sign up to participate in World Read Aloud Day, click HERE.

We will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day in the classroom with Skype author visits! Wonderful, generous authors have agreed to spend time with my students on Wednesday: NAN MARINO, DONNA GEPHART, ALAN SILBERBERG, LINDA URBAN, SARAH PRINEAS, KATE MESSNER, and GREG VAN EEKHOUT.

Sixth graders will also be pairing with first graders and reading aloud! What fun!

Happy Reading (Aloud)!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gate

I am pleased to offer you the following post written by Ellen, one of my sixth grade students.


Louisa and Maddie live in 2020 when their country is in war. They are running out of gas and fresh food. They are being sent away to a school called Country Side Manor (CMS). They don’t know where this school is or when they can come home, but Louisa knows that she will have the freedom her parents never gave her. Maddie is a little different; she doesn’t want freedom from her parents. She only wants to see her parents who are off fighting in the war.

The two girls get on the bus heading for school. There they meet a very paranoid girl, Eleanor. Eleanor thinks the school is some sort of trap for kids, but she has no proof. Louisa and Maddie also meet a sporty, “too cool” girl named Rosie. Rosie doesn’t talk to them; they just overhear her conversation with some other girls on the bus.

When they get to CMS, some pretty strange things happen. Is Eleanor right? Is this school a trap?

The Tomorrow Girls: Behind the Gate is a riveting read. This book hooks you from the start and never lets you go. It is definitely in my top ten books that I have read this year. The entire series consists of four books that are amazing! Eva Gray did a wonderful job writing these books!


THANK YOU, Ellen, for this post!

Click HERE to see a book trailer made by Ellen and her classmate, Tessa. Thanks for your time and effort to create this, girls! Job well done!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

The One and Only Ivan

"I am Ivan. I am a gorilla.

It's not as easy as it looks."


And so begins the story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade.

"Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home--and his own art--through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better."


The One and Only Ivan is a book that young readers will want on their bookshelves so they can visit Ivan as often as they wish. Yes, Katherine Applegate hooks readers with the lovable and unforgettable Ivan. However, this book will also lure readers with its short chapters. I know readers who will be tempted by the 'white space' in this book. There might not be room for Ivan to breathe in his Exit 8 Big Top Mall domain, but Katherine Applegate breathes life into her words and uses the space on each page to add a sense of poetry to her prose.

I cried when reading this book, but I also laughed out loud. It's a story told from a gorilla's point of view that will stay with me for a long time. It is likely that this book will stay in my Top Twelve Favorites of 2012!

Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the book which shares the story of Ivan, the real gorilla who now lives at Zoo Atlanta. The real Ivan spent twenty-seven years alone in a cage at a circus-themed mall in the state of Washington.

Click HERE to watch the book trailer.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Tyo

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Binky the Space Cat

I am so thrilled to have discovered Binky!

"He's BOLD. He's ADVENTUROUS. He's going WHERE NO OTHER CAT HAS GONE BEFORE!"

Binky has never been out of the HOUSE before. This makes Binky's plan to go into outer space even more humorous.

Binky may be a stay-at-home cat, but he is out-of-this-world when it comes to protecting his humans from 'alien invaders'...bugs! And when Binky is notified by F.U.R.S.T. (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) that he has become Space Cat qualified, there is no looking back for Binky.

With Binky the Space Cat, author Ashley Spires has me hooked! I can't wait to find and read the second and third adventures, Binky to the Rescue and Binky Under Pressure.

Fantastic feline protagonist + Humorous story + Wonderful illustrations = One sure fire hit of a graphic novel that kids will want to read again and again.

I will be adding these graphic novels to my classroom as soon as possible.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

When Life Gives You O.J. / Hound Dog True

No school, you say? Looking to read a couple great books while you are on Christmas vacation? Do not fret! Run to your local library and check out these two fun reads...

When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl

"The whole mess started with a note:

KID,

SEE ME IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU GET THIS. DO NOT SPEAK OF THIS TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN YOUR PARENTS OR YOUR BROTHER.

ACE
P.S. I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS."

Ten year-old Zelly Fried finds a note from her grandfather on her nightstand. It's the start of a master plan...convincing Zelly's parents that she is ready and responsible to take care of her own dog. That's all Zelly wants: a dog. Unfortunately, her parents are not in agreement.

Ace, Zelly's grandfather, has the answer: a 'dog' made out of an old orange juice jug. Zelly must demonstrate her ability to take care of a dog by walking her 'dog', feeding her 'dog', and even cleaning up after her 'dog'.

Will Zelly agree with this half-baked plan? How long will Zelly torture herself with the embarrassment of a tag-along plastic orange juice jug?

A fun read for middle school students, Erica S. Perl has convinced me that love sometimes is "the power to drive you crazy." Click HERE to watch the book trailer. Click HERE to visit Erica's website.


Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

"Mattie Breen has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true."

For a reader who can identify and sympathize with a shy protagonist, this is the story for you. Mattie is painfully shy. What a remarkable story Linda Urban has created to give readers a glimpse into a character like Mattie.

For an amazing interview of the author by fellow author Kate Messner, click HERE. For a visit to the author's website, click HERE.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Novels in Verse - Hidden and May B.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Helen Frost's newest novel in verse, Hidden. So much has already been written about this beautiful book. Suffice it to say, I have one copy in the classroom and four (that's right....four!) copies of this book from our town's library loan system making their way into readers' hands and hearts.

"When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra's father steals a minivan. He doesn't know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer. Wren has questions, too.

"Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long. Told from alternating viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of a friendship that can overcome pain."

Please visit Anita Silvey's Children's Book-a-Day Almanac by clicking HERE. Ms. Silvey writes eloquently about Hidden, and I agree completely when she writes, "After reading the book in one gulp, both adults and children will want to go back to this complex book and learn more about the characters."


Put this next book on your reading radar! Not being released until January 2012, May B. by Caroline Starr Rose is an engaging historical novel in verse that will leave you wanting to reread your favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book!

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly...May Betts...May B is sent to help out on a neighbor's homestead. She begrudgingly leaves her ma and pa and brother Hiram to go to Mr. Oblinger's soddy to be a companion for his new wife who is a novice to the hardships of Frontier life. "It's just till Christmas, May" her pa promises.

However, between the water coming through the roof, snakes getting inside, the grime of the dirt floor, and the loneliness of the Frontier, the new Mrs. Oblinger cannot bear one more minute. With the guise of a trip on the prairie to see all that she can see, Mrs. Oblinger rides off and does not come back. Mr. Oblinger is worried enough to go in search of his new wife, if only to make sure she finds her way. May B is left to tend the house.

"Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her." (from Amazon)

Will May B. find her way home again?

Maybe May B. can make it.
Maybe May B. can't.

This is a book I will recommend to my sixth and seventh grade readers. It is a historical fiction read that does not intimidate. May B. is a spunky, determined, and strong-willed twelve year-old. She will surely be remembered by all who read her adventure.

Click HERE to watch the book trailer. Click HERE to watch the author explain how sod houses were made during the pioneer days.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!
P.P.S. Thank you, Worch Library, for the review copy! BEST librarians putting books in the hands of kids!

Sidekicks

Hello, little bloggity-blog! Nice to see you! And nice to see you, dear readers! It has been a busy back-to-school time. I have missed posting great books. So let's get the action started!

ACTION! SUPERHERO ACTION!

Dan Santat brings his new graphic novel, Sidekicks, to a Scholastic book order near you. Located in the September issue of Scholastic Arrow magazine, Sidekicks is a book I have already booktalked to my sixth graders.

The vivid illustrations packed with action and excitement are so colorful that readers will be drawn to this graphic novel. Watch the book trailer HERE and you, too, will want to pick up a copy of this book without even hearing the plot!

"Captain Amazing, superhero and savior of Metro City, is getting old. He's out all hours battling arch-villains, catching thieves, and helping little old ladies cross the street. He doesn't even have time for his house full of pets. He needs - a SIDEKICK!

Captain Amazing's four pets agree. But each one of them thinks HE should get the sidekick spot - and a chance for one-on-one time with the Captain. Get ready for sibling rivalry royale as pets with superpowers duke it out for the one thing they all want - a super family."
Do I really need to say more? Calling all fans of the Amulet series! While you are impatiently waiting for Amulet 5, take Sidekicks for a spin. I promise a nonstop, rip-roaring, crime-fighting adventure that will activate the SUPERHERO in you!

Click HERE to visit the book's webpage. You can learn all about Fluffy, Shifty, Manny, and Rosco as well as download the 275 page PDF of The Art of Sidekicks. Wow!

Welcome back to school!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

Small as an Elephant

Wow.

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson was the perfect book to break the Summer Reading Slump I have been in the past couple weeks. After reading some great books, I've been on the hunt for something different, something that would break the Summer Doldrums of Reading. I certainly found it in this gentle giant of a book.

"Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and 'spinning' wildly until it's over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself - starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before Social Services catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all."

This was a sit-down-and-read-the-whole-book-at-one-time kind of book. I immediately felt my heart go out to Jack and wanted to continue with him on his journey. I almost felt as if everything would turn out fine for Jack if only I stayed with him on his way.

I will definitely booktalk Small as an Elephant to my sixth graders in the fall. This story holds appeal for both boys and girls. A book filled with nonstop adventure, it is one that will grip readers from the start and leave them breathless as Jack races toward an ending as remarkable as his journey itself.

View the author's website HERE. Watch a book trailer HERE.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Wonderstruck

I am...WONDERSTRUCK. and I know my students will be as well when they put their hands on this masterpiece.

Thanks to a wonderful librarian at Worch Library, I was able to read an ARC of Brian Selznick's new book due out September 13, 2011. In a letter included with the book, Selznick writes, "Over the course of nearly three years, Wonderstruck evolved into a book that tells two separate stories, one in words, which takes place in 1977, and the other in pictures, which takes place fifty years earlier in 1927. The two stories weave back and forth and ultimately come together. Each story echoes and informs the other one; so in essence, you will find yourself reading three books--the one with words, the one with pictures, and the one created by their intersection."

Indeed, while reading this book, I was enthralled with Ben's story (1977) as well as Rose's story (1927). Selzinck did a superb job creating each one of these tales while masterfully weaving them both together.

This will be one book in the fall that I will not have to push my sixth graders to read. Many a student has been lured into reading by Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret (including my own daughter--see below). I have always pulled The Boy of a Thousand Faces and The Houdini Box for those students who enjoyed Selznick. I will now have another go-to book in Wonderstruck.

With over one hundred more drawings than The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck is indeed the kind of book that after reading, you want to go right back to the beginning and read it again.

Older readers will want to read the Acknowledgments at the end of the book as Selznick offers insight into the writing of the book. In this section, he gives me reason to read Wonderstruck again AFTER reading From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Selznick says, "Of course, any story about kids who run away to a museum owes a debt of gratitude to E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler. In order to pay back that debt, Wonderstruck is filled with references to Konigsburg and her book. How many can you spot?"

Visit the Wonderstruck website HERE.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

P.P.S. I credit Brian Selznick and Hugo Cabret for turning my daughter into a reader. It was Hugo that turned her on to books and what they had to offer. She quickly grabbed up Wonderstruck and devoured it! Here is what she had to say...

"I decided to read Wonderstruck because I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret when it came out and LOVED it. When I heard that Brian Selznick had a new book coming out with the same format as Hugo Cabret, I wanted to read it and have the book that second!

"Brian Selznick does it again! His new book Wonderstruck is two stories in one. One in the words, and then one in the pictures. But there is also a third story within the words and pictures. When I was reading it, it was like a silent film on paper. My favorite part was when the two stories turned into one. I will be recommending it to readers who liked Hugo Cabret and who like other graphic novels." (Thanks, Taylor!)

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

"WARNING:

If You Don't Have the Guts for Gore, Do Not Read This Book"

King Tut...Julius Caesar...Cleopatra...Christopher Columbus...Henry VII...Elizabeth I...Pocahontas...Galileo Galilei...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...Marie Antoinette...George Washington...Napoleon Bonaparte...Ludwig Van Beethoven...Edgar Allen Poe...Charles Dickens...James A. Garfield...Charles Darwin...Marie Curie...Albert Einstein...

You're familiar with the lives of these people, right? But do you know anything about their deaths? Did you know it is believed that Henry VII's remains exploded within his coffin while lying in state? Did you know doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost eighty ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket? Did you know right before Beethoven wrote his final notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without any pain medication?

"Even though everybody in this book has been dead a long time, reading about their last dying days will make your toes curl. But these stories will also fascinate you and make you realize how lucky you are to live in a world with painkillers and X-rays and soap and 911."

"There are nice things to say about everybody, but this book is full of bad news. There are funny crying parts and disgusting stupid parts and hideous cool parts, but it's pretty much one train wreck after another. And who can tear their eyes away from a train wreck?"

Readers will not be able to tear their eyes away from How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. It is a fascinating look at the lives and deaths of some very famous figures in history. But this history lesson will have readers glued to the page with the awful descriptions of the unfortunate circumstances of their deaths.

A nonfiction read with mega-pop, I know this will be a book popular with my middle grade students. Written with a kid-friendly voice, How They Croaked will be a book that will fly off my shelves in the upcoming school year.

Click HERE to visit NPR's website and a review of the book with an excerpt about Beethoven.

Happy (and Gross) Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

I, Emma Freke

"Let's say you were the hands on a clock with the least popular time being one o'clock all the way up to the most popular time being twelve o'clock. What time would you be?"

Emma has a hard time answering this question posed to her by the school psychologist. But...

"There are five things Emma Freke does know,
1. Her mother didn't bother to say her name out loud before she signed the birth certificate.
2. That might not be such a big problem if she weren't almost six feet tall at age 12,
3. And if her mother would take a break from being a New Age weirdo and give her a straight answer about who her father is,
4. And if she didn't find it impossible to talk to anyone her own age.
5. There has to be a place somewhere where she fits in...doesn't there?"


When Emma gets a chance to attend a family reunion with her dad's side of the family she has never met, she wonders if she'll finally be accepted for who she is. Will Emma ever feel comfortable in her own skin? Or will Emma always be the "Freke" she thinks she is?

Middle school girls will enjoy reading Elizabeth Atkinson's newest book, I Emma Freke. Everyone has felt alone at one point or another, like they don't belong. Emma, unfortunately, feels like that every single day.

If you are a middle grade girl, I know you will connect with Emma. She is believable. She is honest. She is a "Freke". But honestly, a "Freke" may not be as bad as you think it is.

Visit Elizabeth Atkinson's website HERE.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading

Chapter 1

"If you're reading this book, you don't like reading.

In fact, you do whatever you can to avoid reading, and the fact that you're holding a book in your hand right now is kind of shocking.

I know exactly how you feel; I'm one of you.

Just remember: you are not alone. We'll get through this together."

In Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading, Tommy Greenwald creates a character who is very honest with readers. Charlie Joe tells us that this book serves two purposes: "One, it will show people how to get out of reading. And two, on those unfortunate occasions that you are not able to get out of reading and are forced to read a book, it will be a nice easy book to read."

I already have a list of students in mind for this book! What developing or dormant reader wouldn't be thrilled with reading a book about how to get out of reading?

Charlie Joe has lots of tips on how to avoid reading and make the process less painful. For example, readers could try Tip #1: IF YOU HAVE TO READ A BOOK, MAKE SURE IT HAS SHORT CHAPTERS. Or perhaps readers could try Tip #11: BOOKS THAT ARE DIVIDED INTO PARTS SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS. If these tips don't work, may I suggest Tip #18: IF YOU HAVE TO READ, READ ABOUT GIRLS. IT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND THEM BETTER.

Of course, while turning the pages and taking notes on how to avoid reading, the person holding this book actually gets sucked into Charlie Joe's problems--school and girls--and thus, into a pretty great story!

As a person who loves books, chocolate, and Bon Jovi (inside book-joke!), I was loving this read for the simple joy that this will be one of the first books-I-read-this-summer that I will booktalk next school year! My sixth graders won't be able to resist it!

In a book that reminded me of Gary Paulsen's Liar, Liar, Tommy Greenwald has hit a sweet spot for middle grade boys (and girls, too!). Due to be released July 5, make sure you pick this book up for the non-reader in your life! They may actually thank you!

Click HERE to watch the book trailer! Funny!

Click HERE to view the author's website.

FUN FACT: The main character is actually named after the author's three sons...Charlie, Jack, and Joe. Get it? Tommy Greenwald says that he struggled to get his boys to read. He decided to write the perfect book for them, a book about not reading!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!
P.P.S. ARC provided by the fantastic Worch Library. Thank you!