Festival of Colors

Title: Festival of Colors     
Author: Surishtha Sengal and Kabik Sengal 
Illustrator: Vashti Harrison 
Publisher: Beach Lane Books 
Publication Date: January 30th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Learn all about Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, in this lush picture book from bestselling mother/son duo Surishtha Sehgal and Kabir Sehgal.

Spring is here, and it’s almost time for Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo are busy gathering flowers to make into colorful powders to toss during the festival. And when at last the big day comes, they gather with their friends, family, and neighbors for a vibrant celebration of fresh starts, friendship, forgiveness, and, of course, fun!
What I Think: Festival of Colors is a story of the Indian celebration Holi that occurs every spring. It's a wonderful book to read and learn about, share, and celebrate this religious holiday. Before reading this book, I had some familiarity with Holi but I didn't know its name. Since reading this book, I went and read more about Holi and watched some videos. One article in particular stuck out to me: How To Appreciate — Not Appropriate — Holi Celebrations. It references The Color Run which I've seen advertised before but when I went to their website it doesn't specifically name Holi as an influence. I also read that people celebrate Holi differently in different parts of India. If Holi is new to you and/or your students, this book is a great way to introduce the holiday and then head off to do some research. When I read non-fiction, I seem to end up going to read and learn more. How fun is that?
     As a mentor text, I love the way Festival of Colors starts. The snatch of text below shows the first few lines in the book. It starts by showing us a little about the setting, both telling the reader where we might be and when. We know we are in a place where guavas and lotuses grow. We also know they are ripening and blooming which gives a hint of spring or summer. And then it introduces a specific time of year, Holi. It's simple but effective and definitely something students can try in their own writing as a way to start.

Snatch of Text:

"Guavas are ripening. Lotuses are blooming.

And Holi, the Indian festival of colors, is almost here."

Writing Prompt: Write about how the author uses specific words and ideas to help us understand the setting. Use examples from the text to write about time and/or place.

They All Saw a Cat

Title: They All Saw A Cat 
Author: Brendan Wenzel 
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel 
Publisher: Chronicle 
Publication Date: August 30th, 2016 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .

In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see? 
What I Think: Eep! It's so hard to write about this book as a mentor text without giving away the story. If you are looking for an example of how the text and the illustrations in a picture book work with each other to tell a story, this is it! Brendan shows us how a cat might be seen differently from different perspectives with his illustrations. Readers have to use all the visual cues and connect them to each of the different beings that see the cat. My six-year-old was entranced by the story. I could see the little gears cranking around in his head as he made sense of the illustrations and how they connected to different perspectives.
     My snatch of text is simple but profound at the same time. The more I read picture books and listen to authors and illustrators talk about all the intention that goes into their work, the more fascinated I am. When I write, I think about the state of my character and where he or she is when the story starts in relation to where I want that character to go. It's an art to give a teeny, tiny hint at what's to come or what's at play here and to clue the reader in to what to pay attention to. Honestly, it took me a few times through to think about how this story starts, and the specific focus that is put on the cat as we start off thinking about his whiskers, ears, and paws. In a way, it sets the mood, we're stalking along with the cat with his whiskers, ear, and paws but also, we have to pay attention to those whiskers, ears, and paws, right? As a mentor text, I would read the story and then go back and pay close attention to this line and have students think about how Brendan sneaks in this specificity right here and sets the stage for the reader. And then see if students can think about a starting sentence that might show the mood of the story while also pulling readers into the story.
     I've included the book trailer here as well as it's another example of the mood of the story.
Snatch of Text:  
"The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws..."
Writing Prompt: Think about where you will take your readers from start to end. Think about your main character and the state he or she is in at the start of the story and at the end. Write a first line or first paragraph that gives some subtle hint at the change we might see as we read.
Book Trailer:

Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Aly at Kid Lit Frenzy. 
Every Wednesday, bloggers link up their non-fiction picture book reviews. Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what great non-fiction books are shared this week!

Title: Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design
Author: Chip Kidd
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: October 8th 2013
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: “An excellent introduction to graphic design through [the author’s] own excellent work. Anyone interested in the subject, including most practitioners, will find it delightful.”—Milton Glaser

Kids love to express themselves, and are designers by nature whether making posters for school, deciding what to hang in their rooms, or creating personalized notebook covers. Go, by the award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd, is a stunning introduction to the ways in which a designer communicates his or her ideas to the world. It s written and designed just for those curious kids, not to mention their savvy parents, who want to learn the secret of how to make things dynamic and interesting.

Chip Kidd is the closest thing to a rock star in the design world (USA Today), and in Go he explains not just the elements of design, including form, line, color, scale, typography, and more, but most important, how to use those elements in creative ways. Like putting the word go on a stop sign, Go is all about shaking things up and kids will love its playful spirit and belief that the world looks better when you look at it differently. He writes about scale: When a picture looks good small, don t stop there see how it looks when it s really small. Or really big. He explains the difference between vertical lines and horizontal lines. The effect of cropping a picture to make it beautiful or, cropping it even more to make it mysterious and compelling. How different colors signify different moods. The art of typography, including serifs and sans serifs, kerning and leading.

The book ends with ten projects, including an invitation to share your designs at GoTheBook.com
What I Think: I absolutely love this book. I found it fascinating from beginning to end. Design thinking has been on my mind since I participated in Understanding by Design training in July. As I've been talking to more and more people this year about blogging, I find myself telling them that they can set up a simple blog and that I've been working on mine, tweaking the design, moving things around, changing the layout and the theme for a long time now. My blog has evolved over time and I've had fun tinkering with it. I've been working on a website for a couple months now and I haven't made it live yet because I'm not happy with what it looks like and how it represents me just yet. 
     This book helped me see and name some of the thoughts that go through my head as I've worked on my blog and website but I also notice this extends into my writing as well. I saw a great example of varying sentences the other day on Twitter. It showed a version of a paragraph with the sentences basically saying the same thing with sentences of similar structure and then a paragraph with sentences of similar content but with varying sentence structure to show how much more lyrical it is. As writers we design with words and I think that's what makes it an art.
     I honestly could go on and on about this book, what I learned and how it made me think. There were definitely some new design ideas that I'm looking forward to trying. I love that there are ideas here that gave me a concrete way to be creative. So often creativity seems abstract and innate but this book made it feel like it's possible to learn to be creative and I think that might be a relief to some students.
     As a mentor text, I grabbed a snatch of text from the very beginning when the author is talking to the reader. Looking closely at attention grabbers or hooks in non-fiction writing is so much fun. Kidd doesn't disappoint. I really enjoy how he uses 2nd person. It's not very often that 2nd person is used but I think it's a great example of how to hook a reader. I listed a few other books that use 2nd person and/or have great hooks as books that would match well with this.
     One more thing...at the end of this book, there is a great extension for students. After reading about all of the design ideas outlined in the book, Kidd offers some projects that students can try. Bonus!
Read Together: Grades 3 - 12
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 12
Read With: Extreme Earth by Seymour Simon, Locomotive by Brian Floca, Choose Your Own Adventure books
Snatch of Text:

"CONGRAT-

ULATIONS,

you have decided to open 

this book, even though you 

have no idea what it's about 

because the cover doesn't 

tell you much. In fact, the 

cover is weird and seem-

ingly at cross-purposes 

with the message and pos-

sibly even a bit pretentious. 

But you opened it anyway."

Writing Prompts: Complete one of the projects at the end of the book and then write about what you thought about as you completed the project and how you felt about being a designer.
Topics Covered: Integration - Art, Creativity, Intentionality, Purposefulness, Motivation, Belief

I *heart* It:

 

Extreme Earth Records

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy. Every Wednesday, I'll review non-fiction picture book. (It may not always be a picture book.) Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other non-fiction books are shared this week!

Title: Seymour Simon's Extreme Earth Records  
Author: Seymour Simon 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: August, 2012 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Imagine exploring the most extreme parts of our amazing planet—trekking though the driest desert, climbing the snowiest mountaintops, and diving to the deepest regions of the ocean floor. Seymour Simon, the dean of children's science nonfiction, investigates Earth's biggest, smallest, deepest, and coldest environments, animals, plants, and most severe weather. These mind-bending facts and photographs invite readers on an exciting, and sometimes unbelievable, scientific expedition of Earth's most amazing records!
What I Think: I had the pleasure of meeting Seymour Simon at NCTE last year and he's such a wonderfully nice man. I met him and his wife and was able to talk to him about non-fiction. I told him about Peanut and how every week Peanut came home from school with another book from his school library - and it was always non-fiction. I really thought his teacher was encouraging him to check out non-fiction. It turned out the kid just really loves non-fiction. We read a mix of books in our house but it was neat to see how when it was totally his choice of a book to check out, he wanted a non-fiction book.
     I particularly like Extreme Earth Records because it's like reading little articles about fascinating places all over the world. Each topic gets 4-5 pages with photographs and texts. Seymour makes lots of great connections and helps bring each of these places to life for readers.
     From a mentor text perspective, I used this book to study introductions with a class of middle schoolers. We focused only on the introduction of each part of the book. We read each and thought about what Seymour was doing in each. Sometimes he asks questions, sometimes he describes the place and give facts, other times, he asks the reader to imagine. In looking at the different introductions, we were able to recognize these patterns. As we read the introductions, one student kept answering Seymour's questions and I pointed out that a great introduction really makes the reader think. It makes the reader's brain want to answer...it makes the reader's brain not be able to help but think and answer the question or imagine what has been asked to be imagined. Using Extreme Earth Records as a mentor text is a nice way to introduce how writers can get started with an expository piece. Students can then write their own introductions using one of the styles they noticed in the book. As students read more and more non-fiction, they can look for ways that other authors hook their readers and bring them in to share with the class or put into their notebooks as an idea to try when they write expository.  
Read Together: Grades 4 - 8  
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 8 
Read With: Where In the Wild? by David M. Schwartz  
Snatch of Text: "Do you ever feel like you want to get away from everything - school, siblings, and parnts? Then Tristan da Cunha is the place to go! Tristan da Cunha is the most remote place in the world - no one will be able to find you, probably because it is so difficult to get here." p. 17
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Visualizing 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Expository, Descriptive, Introductions, Attention Grabbers 
Writing Prompts: After looking at the different ways that Seymour Simon hooks readers, write a few of your own introductions that mirror his style. 
Topics Covered: Discovery, Integration - Science, Integration - Social Studies 

I *heart* It:

Chin Music

Title: Chin Music

Author: Lee Edelstein

Publisher: Sela House

Publication Date: March, 2013

Genre/Format: Realistic and Historical Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: "Chin Music." A 95 mile-per-hour fastball thrown at a hitter s chin -- an instant s difference between disrupting the batter s concentration and hitting him in the head. As a metaphor in life, chin music is the split second when destinies are altered and all of our certainties about who we are change forever. Sixteen-year-old Ryan Buck is a talented athlete who was fortunate to escape with minor injuries from the horrific car crash that devastated his family. But factor in the suffocating guilt and the recurring nightmare that plagues him and maybe Ryan wasn t so lucky, after all. Two-and-a-half years and countless hours of therapy later, Ryan still can t remember a thing about the accident and it s making for agonizingly slow progress. But everything changes when his mom, Susan, is forced to sell the old Babe Ruth artifacts that have been in the family for years. Enter Sam Frank, a Yoda-like figure, who saves Susan from making a costly mistake. Sam s friendship and knowledge provides the support Susan needs to investigate a secret that has plagued her family for generations the remarkable encounter between her great grandmother Zel and the immortal Yankee slugger. As Ryan slowly makes progress, baseball becomes an important outlet, emotionally and physically. When his superior talent for the sport is recognized, a chance at the major leagues becomes a reality, leaving Susan torn between her excitement at Ryan's prospects and protecting her family from the truth that will turn their world upside down. When the facts emerge, it becomes a story with startling implications for the Buck family, baseball, and sports fans across America.

What I Think: When I first started reading Chin Music, I couldn't figure out how the 2013 story would connect with the 1926 story. As I read, I really enjoyed both stories though they felt so disconnected. Though this disconnection is part of what kept me reading- I had to know "How do they connect?". But the more I read, the more I also wanted to know what happened to the characters. I felt Ryan's loss and wanted to make sure he was going to be okay, I rooted for Zel as she fought the sexism of the 1920's, and I wanted Ryan's family to be fixed.
     Some of the topics within the book are much deeper than the story. Ryan's aspect of the novel discusses survivor's guilt, PTSD, death of a family member, amputation, and depression. Although his story seems to be about baseball, it is more about his dealing with grief and family.  Of course, there are great baseball discussions that can be built from many different parts of this book: there is Ryan's baseball journey as well as baseball history. I loved the author's notes in the end that shared which Babe Ruth aspects in the book were based in truth.
     With Zel's story, it seems like it is about Babe Ruth and barbers, but it is about women's rights and a young lady finding herself a place in the world that women still struggle to survive in. I found many passages throughout that would be a wonderful addition to a discussion about women in the 1920s. 

Read Together: Grades 10 to 12 (Though aspects can be used as read alouds with lower grades.) 

Read Alone: Grades 9 and up

Read With: Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson, The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino by Dan Shaughnessy, Nonfiction books about Babe Ruth, Women's Suffrage, and the 1920's

Snatch of Text: "It was the middle of the night and Ryan awoke bathed in sweat. It was the dream again, the same damn one. The one where he throws a pass to his wide receiver but instead of a football, it's a key tumbling ever so slowly, like in slow motion, end-over-end, until it lands softly in his receiver's hands, except it's Michael who catches it in the end zone for the winning touchdown. Ryan throws his arms up in victory and goes charging down the field to celebrate with his teammates but he runs right into a hospital room where he suddenly finds himself in bed. His father and Michael are standing behind the doctor who is saying to him 'you're going to make a full recover.'" -2013 (p. 3) 

"It was the height of the season and the streets of St. Petersburg were alive with activity. The city, like many others in Florida, had grown dramatically, riding the boom of Florida real estate that had been going full bore since the beginning of the decade. Just in the past year five new hotels had been built or were under construction, employing hundreds of people." -1926 (p. 20)

Mentor Text for: Attention Grabber, Characterization, Setting

Writing Prompts: Zel deals with prejudice because of her gender, but overcomes it because of her gumption; has there been an aspect of your life where you have felt prejudice? How did you overcome it? 

Topics Covered: Survivors Guilt, PTSD, Loss, Baseball, Therapy, Family, Amputation, Women's Rights, 1920s, Babe Ruth, Mothers and Sons

I *heart* It:

 
**Thank you to Lee Edelstein and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of Chin Music for review. Come back Thursday for another Chin Music post :)**

Wonder Show

Title: Wonder Show

Author: Hannah Barnaby

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Publication Date: March, 2012

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze! But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, that she could never leave. Free at last, Portia begins a new life on the bally, seeking answers about her father’s disappearance. Will she find him before Mister finds her? It’s a story for the ages, and like everyone who enters the Wonder Show, Portia will never be the same.

What I Think: Portia is looking for her family, but ends up finding a place in the least likely places- a "freak show" touring around the midwest during Depression-era America. The author seamlessly intertwines Portia's story with the story of the traveling show even mixing up points of views and narrators during the story.  Although it sounds like it should definitely not work, it does. And it does beautifully. This book is mostly about heart, family, and home. Portia's story is so enthralling and her transformation is amazing to be part of. 

     As I read this book, I found so many different places that could be mentor texts within the classroom. Hannah Barnaby's debut novel is not only a great example of literary, lyrical writing, it is also a novel that would definitely be useful for a reading mentor text. Since the story is so complex, it takes a strong reader to read it thus would be a great book to model comprehension with. As a writing mentor text, there are examples of exemplar writing throughout. 

Read Together: Grades 9 and up

Read Alone: Grades 8 and up

Read With: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Snatch of Text: "The truck lurched uncertainly onto the dirt road indicated by the sign and quickly came to a fork - downhill, to the right, Portia saw a cluster of small wood cabins and, behind them, the apple trees. They were different than her apple trees. Hers had grown tall and sat heavy over her like a canopy, even now that she was thirteen. These were dwarfish, twisted, and gray. It was halfway through harvest time, and many of the trees stood bare as skeletons, reaching for the cold sky. Uphill, to the left, was a massive dark house with a sharp, staggered roof that looked like the teeth of some huge, mythical beast. Portia had no desire to get any closer, but Sophia, as usual, had other ideas." (p. 25) 

Mentor Text for: Suspense, Predicting, Point of Views, Imagery, Attention Grabber, Vocabulary, Voice, Literary Writing, Setting

Writing Prompts: Don't judge a book by its cover does not only apply to books; it also applies to people. Think of a time when you judged a person by their cover and you were wrong. Connect this with Portia when she first arrived at the Wonder Show. 

Topics Covered: Human Curiosities, Family, Loss, Loyalty, Relationships, Identity

I *heart* It:

 

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Title: Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Publisher: Scholastic 

Publication Date: March, 2012

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

     Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class? In his new novel, teen author Jordan Sonnenblick performs his usual miraculous feat: exploring deep themes of friendship, romance, family, and tragedy, while still managing to be hilariously funny.
What Kellee Thinks: This book beautifully intertwines 4 topics (photography, baseball, dementia and first loves) into a relatable teenage story. Peter's voice rings true throughout the book and is the type of protagonist I like to see in books - real. Peter is a little bit of a nerd, a little bit of a sports nut, a little bit of a photographer, and a little bit of a family guy, but he finds out through his freshman year how to survive without something he always thought he'd have in his life and find a passion in something else. 

     One thing I liked that Sonnenblick tied in was the idea that Peter can deceive his conscious self and others as much as he wants, but through his dreams his subconscious shows what our true emotions are. Another highlight for me was the "The Decisive Moment" which was a phrase coined by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson which is a photograph that speaks the truth. It is stolen, taken on the run and decisive. This idea becomes a major theme throughout the book and almost Peter's montra.
What Jen Thinks: This week I finished listening to Curveball on audio. I read and reviewed it here last year and rereading it (by listening to it) was a treat. Curveball is actually a book I have wanted to ask Colby to read and discuss for our I-94 book club for a while now (and we are finally going to!) I enjoyed this book even more the second time around. I think at first, I was clouded by all of Sonnenblick's other books that I love. This book has strong characters like his other books, but it is definitely different. I love how he builds characters and their stories in such a way that I couldn't help feeling for them. Actually, I found myself relating this book to The Notebook by Nicholas Spark because of how Pete has to face his grandfather's Alzheimer's. Sonnenblick lets us see into Pete's heart as he grapples with so many issues that seem easy for anyone to relate to. 
Read Together: Grades 7 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 8 to 12

Read With: Pop by Gordon Korman, By My Brother's Side by Tiki and Ronde Barber, The Notebook by Nicholas Spark
Snatch of Text: "Three photos. In the first, a hand holds a baseball in the classic pitcher's grip: first two fingers across the top seam, thumb underneath. The pitcher's arm extends almost straight back into the picture and blurs into his face. The hand and the front of the ball are what photographers refer to as a tack sharp: You can see whorls of fingerpint pattern on the skin, a jagged nail, every stitch and scuff on the ball. And you can somehow feel the tension in the figers, almsot imagine that hand crushing yours in it clawed grip. Maybe you've heard somewhere that a picture is supposed to hold the ball loosely. Then again, this picture isn't going to be throwing the ball anyway." (p. 127)

Mentor Text for: Imagery, Dialogue, Voice, Humor, Attention Grabbers

Writing Prompts: Observe and analyze one of Henri Cartier-Bresson's photos. Using imagery, describe the photos so others could visualize it. Then infer what is happening in the photo and predict what happened before/after the photo was taken.
Topics Covered: Photography, Baseball, Injury, Rehab/Recovery, Dementia, High School, Art History, Love

Kellee *hearts* It:

(4.5 hearts)
Jen *hearts* It: 

 and 

Endangered

Title: Endangered

Author: Eliot Schrefer

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: October, 2012

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: The compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos--and herself--from a violent coup. The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.

     When one girl has to follow her mother to her sanctuary for bonobos, she's not thrilled to be there. It's her mother's passion, and she'd rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.

     Eliot Schrefer asks readers what safety means, how one sacrifices to help others, and what it means to be human in this new compelling adventure.

What I Think: Sophie is a normal teenager who struggles with going between her divorced parents mostly when they live in completely different cultural situations- her father has a office job in America and her mother runs a bonobo sanctuary in Congo. Though she was born in the Congo, the last handful of years have been spent in America with her father and returning to Congo and her mother's sanctuary. The book begins with Sophie being picked up and while waiting in a check point, she spots a baby bonobo who is not being treated well and, against everyone's wishes, buys him. Otto now enters into her life and ours. He becomes the co-star of the book and begins to change Sophie's feelings about being at the sanctuary. But then, right before she is about to leave, chaos at the hand of revolutionaries envelopes Congo and Sophie finds herself in a completely type of situation. 
      Now if you follow me here or on Twitter, you know that I am a sucker for ape books and I have been lucky that many people who care a lot about apes write some amazing ape books - this is a book to add to that list. It left me with even more of a passion for saving these animals who are our closest relative. I. Love. This. Book. It quickly moved into my favorites list even while I was only half way through with it. It is such a journey that you take with this young lady and the growth you see in her (and Otto) is incredible. On top of that, Eliot Schrefer is an author who not only can tell a good story, but he can help you become part of the story and visualize and feel everything that is happening. And I am not alone in this love. Endangered was a finalist for The National Book Award, Eliot Schrefer was a hit at the Scholastic Brunch at NCTE, and it is being gushed about on Twitter: 

• "ENDANGERED is one of those books that has a powerful impact, makes you think, and sticks with you long after you've closed the final pages." -Jillian Heise (@heisereads) 
• "ENDANGERED was a can't-put-down book with an emotional and intelligent story that left me wanting to learn more about bonobos and the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I enjoy books that engage me and leave me thinking, and Eliot Schrefer has balanced that beautifully in this novel." -Jillian Heise (@heisereads) 
• "ENDANGERED is so, so good! Highly recommend to everyone, even though I am only halfway through it. @kelleemoye, you weren't kidding." -Ricki Ginsberg (@ReadwithPassion) 
• "@kelleemoye @eliotschrefer It is such a complex book. Would be great to teach! Very accessible for kids, too." -Ricki Ginsberg (@ReadwithPassion)

Read Together: Grades 6 and up

Read Alone: Grades 7 and up

Read With: Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel, Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, The Chimpanzees I Love by Jane Goodall, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya (via Jillian Heise), Non-fiction books about bonobos and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Snatch of Text: "The man released the bonobo. The little ape sat down tiredly in the dirt and lowered his arms, wincing as his sore muscles relaxed. I kneeled and reached out to him. The bonobo glanced at his master before working up the energy to stand and toddle over to me. He leaned against my shin for a moment, then extended his arms to be picked up. I lift him easily and hugged himself to me, his fragile arms as light as a necklace. I could make out his individual ribs under my figures, could feel his heart flutter against my throat. He pressed his lips against my check , I guess to get as close as possible to my skin, and only then did I hear his faint cries; he'd been making them for so long that his voice was gone." (p. 3-4)

Mentor Text for: Imagery, Emotional Impact, Figurative Language

Writing Prompts: Sophie makes many decisions throughout the book that many people, specifically her parents, would not have agreed with. Would you have made the same decisions as her? Were there any you would have done differently? Do you think her decisions were worth it? Use text evidence to back your answers. 

Topics Covered: Democratic Republic of Congo, Bonobo, Guerilla Militia, Revolution, Race, Nationality, Survival

I *heart* It:

 

Pie! Pie! Pie!

All year, I have kept the Un-Boring List that I made for 2012 in the back of my mind. Some of them I accomplished...others, I didn't (and probably won't) get to this year. I added #10 - Make a Pie to my list after reading Robot Zombie Frankenstein by Annette Simon last year at NCTE. I waited and waited for it to be published in April so others could read it. It's a charming book about friends but also about robots and zombies and...pie! Reading Pie by Sarah Weeks in December also had a little bit to do with my pie-making un-boring list addition. It's really hard to read books about pie and not want to eat pie. I mean, pie is great. If you don't like sweets, fine, I'll give you a pass, but if you like sweets, there is a pie out there for you. I like fruit pices but I also love chocolate cream pies or key lime pies or lemon meringue pies...I like pies, okay? 

If you like pies, I definitely recommend you check out these great pie-related books. Yesterday I reviewed Apple Cake by Julie Paschkis and shared some of my foodie-related books. Books with recipes are just cool. I'll never forget making stone soup in kindergarten or making waffles with college friends just because I had been reading and was in love with Polly Horvath's Everything on a Waffle when we got together for a mini-reunion. 

Peanut helped me finally make an apple pie today so that I could check off #10 - Make a Pie on my Un-Boring List. I'm glad I didn't technically put any qualifications on what it means to make a pie because the thought of actually making the crust and rolling it out and getting it right just seems to daunting to me. I Googled "easy vegan apple pie" and this is what we got. It was super easy, I would recommend tossing the apples in the brown-sugar-butter-cinnamon-nutmeg mix but other than that, it was delish!

The brown stuff is the brown-sugar-butter-cinnamon-nutmeg mix that I so expertly spread over the apples. And I tried to get creative with my little air holes - my mom suggested this - it wasn't in the directions but it was good. My mom also suggested putting something under the pie in case it dripped...and it did drip, so I'm glad we put foil under it. 

It basically ended up looking like all a mess on our plates, but it did taste good - and that's what matters, right? And that we had fun making the pie? That was important, too.

This wouldn't be a complete post without me saying one more thing about Pie about Sarah Weeks. Pie is an excellent mentor text for talking to students about books with ambiguous endings. If you, or your reader(s), are at all like me, you aren't a huge fan of books that end and leave the reader hanging. I like closure. Books that are all tied up with ribbon at the end leave me content. Books that leave readers hanging can drive me crazy. It partially depends on the ending, really. If there is enough information that I can infer what the ending might be, or that I can infer my own happy ending, then I'm cool. I enjoy happy endings. I do have to say that I'm coming to terms with books that don't have particularly happy endings or books that are open-ended. One that comes to mind is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I can infer my own ending and I'm allowed to make it a happy ending, so that gets an A+ in my book. (Plus, I saw Lois Lowry speak and she agrees that it has a happy ending!) The ending of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight I liked, too...I didn't have to have the rest of the books in the series because I could easily imagine my own happy (and not so freaky) ending to the Twilight saga. Some books or series have great epilogues that I desperately wanted and was so happy for - the epilogues of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games instantly pop into my head (not to say that they are perfect, but I so wanted just a little bit more after the end of both of these series).

After I finished Pie, I was actually bothered by the epilogue. This was an example of when I just wish I could have imagined my own ending and didn't have the epilogue there to outline exactly what happened. I don't think I can actually say this about any other epilogue I have ever read. If I ever hear that someone has read this book, I can't help but ask what they thought of the epilogue! (I may be a tad obsessed with finding someone else who found it as depressing as I did.) I think this book would be great to discuss with other books that have epilogues or books that don't have epilogues or books that have ambiguous endings. So often in writing and in teaching writing, we talk about beginnings and how we hook the reader. First lines are crucial but endings are what stay with a reader after he or she is done and endings can be just as important as beginnings. Every time I open a book, I hope that it is a book that gives me chills and makes me stop and catch my breathe when I'm done. A great ending leaves me loving the characters and their story and wishing there was more to the story while at the same time feeling that their lives go on and that they'll be fine.  I like this article where JK Rowling talks about how she decided what to include in the epilogue for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and how it would be written. Great insight into an awesome ending! Including Pie in a discussion of endings would add to a conversation about what a good ending is all about.

Robot Zombie Frankenstein also has a fun ending - it's a surprise in the story but also in the illustrations. I love it. Yesterday, I talked about how food and books and childhood memories seem to go hand in hand. This time of year is an especially great time for food and books and creating memories with family. If you are looking for some other good books for this holiday time of year, check out Geek Mom's Book Gift Guide. Robot Zombie Frankenstein made the list!

If you've read Pie and we haven't yet discussed the epilogue...tell me what you think! You loved it? Hated it? Don't even remember it? Indifferent? Please share!

If you love pie, what's your favorite!?! Thanks for sharing!

   

Code Name Verity

Title: Code Name Verity 
Author: Elizabeth Wein 
Publisher: Egmont Press 
Publication Date: February 2012
Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.


We are a sensational team.  
What I Think: I have to say that I was fairly confused at the beginning of this book. It's definitely a gripping beginning. Right away I was curious about the narrator and what kind of predicament she is in and how she got there and what she's going to do about it...but I was confused for a while until I was able to piece bits of it together. I found myself going back to read the summary and to look at some other reviews online just because I felt like I was missing something. Most people were very vague in their reviews, but they did say that it made more sense as everything went along and a few shared that they read it twice to go back and look at all the details that made more sense after reading the entire story through once. Having finished the book, I can see what they are talking about. It's a little bit of a Sixth Sense kind of book...although it's not about ghosts or anything. It's just a book that you'll read differently after you know the whole story. The first time, it's about reading it and taking it in but all the clues that the author gives you won't make sense until you know the whole story. Pretty crazy actually. I always enjoy girl power books, and while this book is historical fiction, the two main characters are definitely strong and courageous women.
I can't really say anything more other than read the book! And know that you just have to stick with it until it makes more sense (if it doesn't make sense to you right away). I've heard that this is a book people are saying is a contender for the Printz. My heart is with John Green's The Fault in Our Stars but I can see how this book could be in the running and I'm sure it's a book that's going to grow on me the more I think about it and the more I talk with others about it.
Read Together: Grades 8 - 12 
Read Alone: Grades 9 - 12 
Read With: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (adult) by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Snatch of Text: "What's in my future? A tin of kerosene poured down my throat and a match held to my lips? Scalpel and acid, like the resistance boy who won't talk? My living skeleton packed up in a cattle wagon with two hundred desperate others carted off to God-knows-where to die of thirst before we get there? No, I'm not traveling those roads." (taken from the audio) 
Mentor Text For: Making Inferences, Characterization, Descriptive, Personal Narrative, Visualizing
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something for another person even though it didn't benefit or possibly hurt you.  
Topics Covered: Friendship, War, Courage, Flying, Decision-Making

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Athena's Son

Title: Athena's Son

Author: Jeryl Schoenbeck

Publisher: Papyrus Publishing

Publication Date: December, 2011

Genre/Format: Historical fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: In 276 BC, Egyptians are terrified when a series of murders are linked to Anubis, god of the dead. The evidence is inexplicable. The victims' bodies have no wounds and the killer's tracks are enormous animal prints. Egyptians believe the jackal-headed god doesn't want the new lighthouse build. The pharaoh needs someone special to solve the crimes, someone with the skills and intellect to track down a vengeful god. 

     Twelve-year-old Archimedes is that person. He is blessed by Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, with extensive knowledge of science, mechanics, and medicine. He has to tread carefully when he applies the cold logic of Greek science in a sultry, mystical world of Egyptian culture. But when an ancient scroll puts him on the path of the killer, it also brings another god back from the dead. Now Archimedes is going to need Athena's war skills.

What I Think: Oh my goodness! So much is going on in this novel and all of it is good. 

     First, suspense. The book starts off right away with a murder. It is very Alex Rider-esque because it isn't until a bit later that you figure out how this murder fits into the story. However, by beginning that way, the author sucks you into the story and already gives you a reason to want to keep reading. Then as you read through the story and Archimedes gets himself farther and farther into the murder-mystery at the center of the story, the suspense builds and at a certain point I just could not stop reading. 

     Second, history. There is so much history in this book! First, it is taking place in 2nd century BC Egypt when the Ptolemy family is ruling thus a tumultuous time because Greeks and Egyptians are both trying to live peacefully together. The Romans are also becoming part of the mix. Our characters are from all three nations. Second, part of the story is about Alexander the Great and has us look back at his reign. Although the book begins with an historical background index and maps, I found myself on Wikipedia many times throughout the reading because I wanted to know more about the fascinating things that were being shared with me. 

     Third, science. Archimedes is known for being a leading scientist in classical antiquity and this book shares with us some of the principles, inventions and theories he had. I was worried at first that the science aspect was going to seem forced, but I found that it fit perfectly within the story and just added to it. Also, the author made sure that all of the items discussed are actually findings of Archimedes thus are historically accurate as well. 

     Fourth, mythology. I love mythology. And this book has the best of both worlds as it discusses Greek and Egyptian mythology. 

     And there are other reasons as well: action, mystery, and culture. See, as I promised- a lot of stuff going on and all good. This book is very much worth a read and will find some readers in fans of Rick Riordan. 

Read Together: Grades 6 to 8

Read Alone: Grades 6 to 10

Read With: Rick Riordan books, Who Was King Tut? by Roberta Edwards, Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub, Athena by George O'Connor, Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Snatch of Text: "The solution became clear when Ptahhotep laughed at him and told him not to drop the crown in the water. "By completely immersing the wreath in this bowl of water, an amount of water equal to the total volume of the crown will be expelled. This large plate," he pointed to the alabaster plate underneath the bowl, "will collect the water that spills." ...

     "The water that spills onto the plate will be poured into this glass beaker, which will measure the volume of the water, and at the same time, the volume of the gold wreath." Archimedes' hand moved to the measuring scales. They were the same bronze scales the men were using to weigh gold when he and Berenike first entered the palace." (p. 89-90)

Mentor Text for: Suspense, Attention grabbers, Plot development, Historical fiction

Writing Prompts: At the time that this book takes place, 276BC, Herophilos, the physician, had already passed away. Why do you think that the author chose to have Herophilos be a character in the book? Why wouldn't he have made it 4 years earlier when he was alive? How would the book have been different without him?; What do you think was more important to Archimedes: religion or science? Find examples from the novel to support your opinion.

Topics Covered: Astronomy, Physics, Medical examination, Egyptian and Greek Mythology, Egyptian and Greek history, Heiroglyphics and Demotic language, Ptolemy family, School and Library of Alexandria

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**Thank you to Jeryl Schoenbeck for providing a copy of Athena's Son for review**

Ellie McDoodle: New Kid In School

Title: Ellie McDoodle: New Kid In School 
Author: Ruth McNally Barshaw 
Illustrator: Ruth McNally Barshaw 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA 
Publication Date: June 2008 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel  
Summary: When Ellie’s family moves to a new town, she’s sure she won’t fit in. Nobody else likes to read as much as she does, and even the teachers can’t get her name right. But when the students need someone to help them rally against unfair lunch lines, it’s Ellie to the rescue—and if shorter lines and better food prevail, can friendship be far behind? 
What I Think: It seems like a book like Ellie McDoodle falls into the "Wimpy Kid" genre of books. I'm not sure exactly what to call these types of books - they are kind of like a hybrid. I consider Frankie Pickle to be a definite graphic novel-chapter book hybrid because the illustrations look very much like how a graphic novel is set up. Ellie McDoodle has illustrations to match the text. The drawings are supposed to be Ellie's as she has started a new journal when her family moves.
      I love Ellie's family. She has hysterical siblings that play all sorts of fun pranks on each other. I love it. It reminds me of my friend Laura from when I was in middle school and high school. She had two brothers and two sisters and she was right in the middle. There was never a dull moment in her household. It was fun to read about Ellie's family and remember my friend and her family.
     In this book, Ellie is the new girl in school. I never moved to a new school so I never had the chance to be a new student. I think it would be fun but my husband has told me he would never wish having to be the new kid at a school on anyone. I felt bad to hear about Ellie's no-fun experience being a new kid but she does make a name for herself in this book. Ellie reminded me of Marty McGuire in a way because she does end up getting things done. She if very resourceful and a great girl role model!
     I found out about the Ellie McDoodle series when I was following the Teachers Write activities this summer on Kate's blog. Ruth McNally Barshaw shared how she uses sketches to get to know her characters better. It was a great activity. AND THEN, when  I was in Michigan in July for Kids Read Comics, I met Ruth! She's so friendly and kind and was excited to meet me. It was pretty awesome. She was working on her final edits (if I remember correctly...) to send in while she was signing autographs and she took a few minutes to chat with me and take this lovely picture!

Ruth McNally Barshaw and Jen

Read Together: Grade 2 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 3 -  6
Read With: Just Grace (series) by Charise Mericle Harper, Like Pickle Juice On a Cooke by Julie Sternberg, Nake Mole Rat Letters by Mary Amato, Marty McGuire (series) by Kate Messner, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, Fig Pudding by Ralph Fletcher
Snatch of Text:  

The End

"Seriously. This is the end. I'm doing this new 

journal to keep track of my family's move to a 

new house (new city, new schools, new everything). 

There won't be much to keep track of, 

though, because this is the END 

of everything good." 

p. 1 **notice that this is page 1!**

Mentor Text For: Characterization, Making Connections, Drawing, Attention Grabbers
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you had to try something new. 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Family, Moving, School, Identity, Courage, Fear, Ingenuity,

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