Caleb and Kit

Title: Caleb and Kit     
Author: Beth Vrabel 
Publisher: Running Press 
Publication Date: September 12th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Twelve-year-old Caleb is shorter, frailer, and more protected than most kids his age. That's because he has cystic fibrosis, a diagnosis meaning lungs that fill with mucus and a shortened lifespan. Caleb tries not to let his disorder define him, but it can be hard with an overprotective, prying mom and a big brother who is perfect in every way.

Then Caleb meets Kit-a vibrant, independent, and free girl who lives in a house in the woods-and his world changes instantly. Kit reads Caleb's palm and tells him they are destined to become friends. She calls birds down from the sky, turns every day into an adventure, and never sees him as his disorder. Her magic is contagious, making Caleb question the rules and order in his life. But being Kit's friend means embracing deception and, more and more, danger. Soon Caleb will have to decide if his friendship with Kit is really what's best for him-or Kit.
What I Think: Navigating relationships is something kids have to go through but also something that lasts into adulthood. Caleb has a lot of different relationships to manage in this book! I feel for him but I also love that Beth makes him relatable and shows the reality of what it's like to be a friend, a brother, and a son. I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed Lisa Graff's Lost In The Sun.
     As a mentor text, this book is an opportunity to look at expanding small moments when writing personal narrative. Students can think about their own relationships and experiences and choose one moment to zone in on and describe for the reader. Students can take this opportunity to be descriptive and to use the five senses to build imagery and bring readers into the moment with them. Oftentimes, writers tell the story bit by bit, outlining a list of everything that happened. But it's important to be able to pause in a moment and zoom in on what's happening. You know those pictures where you get a 360 degree view? You can swipe from side to side and up and down to get a look all around. That's what we need to do as writers. Stop, turn around, and describe everything using our five senses so our readers can feel what it's like to be there too.
Snatch of Text: "Each step I took made my shoes suck deeper into mud with a squelching sound, and each time I lifted my feet it made my chest hurt. A few more yards in and I realized I was in trouble. My chest burned. I tried to ignore it. The pain twisted and coiled around my ribs - not like I couldn't breathe but like my body didn't want to." (p. 9)
Writing Prompt: Write about a time in your life when your brain wanted to do something but your body didn't or couldn't cooperate. Write about a time in your life when you were in a disagreement with someone close to you.

Bonus fun! Enter Beth’s #WhereIEscape giveaway and/or post your own photo of a place you go to get away from the world!

Thank you to Running Press Kids

for sending me a copy of this book to review!

Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find 13 of the World's Deadliest Animals

Title: Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find 13 of the World's Deadliest Animals  
Author: Lola M. Schaefer 
Illustrator: Tymn Armstrong 
Publisher: Chronicle Books 
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: These 13 deadly creatures can be difficult to spot until you're right on top of them . . . or they're right on top of you. Look for each animal in its environment—look closely!—and learn all the ways you could perish—or survive—depending on how smart, well-informed, and good at running away you are. From the deathstalker scorpion and the poison dart frog to wasps, alligators, and many more, young readers will gain a new appreciation for the animal kingdom, and the dangers it hides in plain sight!
What I Think: I love a good non-fiction book! What makes this book stand out to me is the descriptive text and the lovely illustrations. The book is gorgeous visually but the description truly brings the illustrations to life.
     As a mentor text, I would point out how the text and artwork support each other. I would ask students to close their eyes the first read through, then look at the picture the second read through, and then finally invite them to write down or circle words that stand out to them. This is a great opportunity to look at word choice and specifically make a link to word choice in non-fiction text. There is a misconception that non-fiction writing is not creative writing it...but I disagree. Sure, the topic you are writing about has to sit squarely in facts but the word choice we use in non-fiction writing and the literary elements we employ can surely take on a creative nature. And honestly, the best non-fiction does exude imagery. So have students look at the text and notice what stands out to them, talk about those super specific words, and then invite them to try it themselves! 
     ***I especially love this snatch of text because there are TWO examples of alliteration! Love it!
Snatch of Text:  
"Don't crowd a shark. A GREAT HAMMERHEAD, like some other sharks, will defend its territory if threatened. WITH ITS TEETH. If one of these 500- to 1,000-pound (227- to 454-kilogram) creatures confuses you with an enemy or a tasty fish, swim...and swim fast! The hammerhead will strike with his head and bludgeon you again and again until you are weak and weary. Then it will open its powerful jaws and shred you with its serrated teeth. YOU WILL BE DEAD."
Writing Prompt: Write about a ferocious animal that interests you. Or maybe you'd prefer to write about a completely non-ferocious animal! But as you write, pay attention to your word choice and see if you can work some $100 words in there.

Things That Surprise You

Thank you to Blue Slip Media

for sending me a copy of this book to review 

and for providing an awesome prize pack

for me to giveaway! (Details below!)

Title: Things That Surprise You 
Author: Jennifer Maschari  
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: August 22, 2017 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Emily Murphy is about to enter middle school. She’s sort of excited… though not nearly as much as her best friend Hazel, who is ready for everything to be new. Emily wishes she and Hazel could just continue on as they always have, being the biggest fans ever of the Unicorn Chronicles, making up dance moves, and getting their regular order at The Slice.

But things are changing. At home, Emily and her mom are learning to move on after her parents’ divorce. Hardest of all, her beloved sister Mina has been in a treatment facility to deal with her anorexia. Emily is eager to have her back, but anxious about her sister getting sick again.

Hazel is changing too. She has new friends from the field hockey team, is starting to wear makeup, and have crushes on boys. Emily is trying to keep up, but she keeps doing and saying the wrong thing. She want to be the perfect new Emily. But who is that really?

Things That Surprise You is a beautifully layered novel about navigating the often shifting bonds of family and friendship, and learning how to put the pieces back together when things fall apart. 
What I Think: I've been excited to tell students all about Things That Surprise You because it is such a real book about having friends, keeping friends, and making friends that I imagine many middle schoolers will relate to. It's a book I would recommend to readers who like Rebecca Stead's Good Bye Stranger and Ann Brashares' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. 
     As a mentor text, I love how Jennifer takes a moment and describes it so that we can feel what the characters are feeling. I pulled out two snatches of text that include similes that I love. They demonstrate how we have to be intentional about the similes we include. The imagery she creates with this similes definitely match the mood of the character and the scene.
     I also like how Emily, the main character, has her own character arc but her sister Mina has one as well. Too often writers focus on the main character and how he or she changes but we also have to look at how our supporting characters change and how our main characters might even impact the change our supporting characters go through. It's real life, right? But being able to do it in our writing as well is important and Things That Surprise You is a perfect mentor text for looking at how the main character isn't the only one who is going to grow as the story progresses.
Snatch of Text: 
"Walking in here is like stepping into a pair of the fuzziest socks. It feels cozy and right." (p. 11)

"All the good feelings I had built up whoosh out of me like air from a flattened bike tire." (p. 97)
Writing Prompt: Write about what you look for in a good friend. Use examples from Things That Surprise You and Emily's experiences with friends in the book and connect to your own experiences as well. 

Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of THINGS THAT SURPRISE YOU (U.S. addresses).

PLUS!

One grand prize winner will receive a Crafty Unicorn Kit!  The prize includes a fun craft kit, a copy of THINGS THAT SURPRISE YOU, unicorn stickers, and puzzle cards! 

Enter here.

Out of Wonder

Title: Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets 
Author: Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderly and Marjory Wentworth 
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes 
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: March 14th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Poetry/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Out of gratitude for the poet's art form, Newbery Award winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors' hearts sing and their minds wonder. 
What I Think: I'm such a fan of poetry and I love how this book celebrates so many different poets. Not only that, but each poem was inspired by one of those poets and it's a great example of the power of mentor texts. Writing poems is a great way to play around with style as a writer and using favorite poets as inspiration is such a powerful way to get going with poetry. I had a lot of fun trying my hand at this after reading Forgive Me, I Meant To Do It by Gail Carson Levine. You can read my blog post about it here.
     Out of Wonder is a perfect mentor text for poetry and you can use it in a few different ways. I'm sure the authors took time to read many poems by the poet they were emulating and even might have spent time researching the poet as well. Writers can choose one of the poets in Out of Wonder, read the poem in honor of them, and then go do some research on him or her and his or her poetry before trying to write on their own. Writers can also use the poetry in this book and choose one poem to use as a mentor text for his or her own writing. One thing I love to do with poetry is to borrow a line from a poem and use it to start or inspire my own poem.
     The more writing I do on my own and with other writers, the more I realize how helpful it is to have a place to start from. Whether it's brainstorming, finding an idea from my day, or finding a word or line from another author...anything to get started helps. Mentor texts help us in this way and poetry is powerful as a mentor text.  Kwame talks about just this in the preface of the book. He writes, "Writers often struggle with the blank page. A clean slate can motivate, but it can also scare us. We are always in search of experiences that spark ideas for our poems and stories. Inspiration can also come from reading the works of other poets."
Snatch of Text:  

Majestic

celebrating Maya Angelou

Rise

into the wonder

of daybreak.

Be a rainbow in the cloud.

Be a free bird on the back of the night wind.

Shine on, honey!

Walk with joy in your golden feet

over crystal seas

and purpled mountains.

Know your beauty

is a thunder

your precious heart unsalable.

Be brave,

like a new seed bursting

with extraordinary promise.

Shine on, honey!

Know you

are phenomenal.

-Kwame Alexander

Writing Prompt: Choose one of the poems in the book and use it as a mentor text to write your own poetry. Choose two of the poems in the book and compare and contrast the description used in each of the poems.

Beach Party Surf Monkey Blog Tour and Giveaway

Thank you to Random House

for sending me a copy of this book to review 

and for providing a copy of the book 

for me to giveaway! (Details below!)

Title: Beach Party Surf Monkey 

Author: Chris Grabenstein 

Illustrator: Brooke Allen

Publisher: Random House 

Publication Date: May 1st, 2017 

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 

GoodReads Summary: There's always something wacky happening when you live in a motel, and P.T. (named after P. T. Barnum, of course) has grown up at the world's wackiest! When word gets out that the hottest teen idols in Hollywood (plus current YouTube sensation Kevin the Monkey!) will be filming their next movie--Beach Party Surf Monkey--right in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, P.T. and his friend Gloria know that the Wonderland would be the perfect location. Now they just have to convince the producers!

But when things start to go wrong (crazed fans? missing stars?), it will take all of Gloria's business genius and P.T.'s wild stories to save the movie before both it and the Wonderland are all washed up!

What I Think: I enjoyed both books in the Welcome to Wonderland series and am excited to share them with my kids! P.T. is such a character but he's lovable at the same time. He tells lots of stories gets into all sorts of sticky situations but his heart is in the right place. 
    As a mentor text, I would look at how Chris is able to build P.T.'s character through letting us into his head and dialogue. There is a lot of dialogue in this book. I picked a snatch of text when we get to be inside P.T.'s head and understand some of his thinking. This is an example of how we can grow to like him because we see his thought process. The best part is that he uses some great imagery in this snatch of text without making it boring. It's a great example of a simile done well! So fun!

Snatch of Text:  
     "As I grabbed the door, I realized that if I took Aidan Tyler into the lobby of the Wonderland, he'd be like a prize blowfish in an aquarium. His fans would just press up against the glass to gawk at him. Some girl would probably make smoochy faces at him, too. And that would mean I'd have to spend my weekend cleaning greasy lipstick smears off our floor-to-ceiling windows.
     'Change of plans,' I told him." (p. 47)

Writing Prompt: Write about what you think about when it comes to fame. Do you like the idea of being famous? Would you want to be famous? Or do you have other thoughts about being famous? Make connections with P.T.'s experience with fame and your own.

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Love Is

Title: Love Is 
Author: Diane Adams  
Illustrator: Claire Keane 
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: January 24th, 2017 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Perfect for Valentine's Day—or any tender moment—this story of a girl and a duckling who share a touching year together will melt hearts old and young. In this tenderly funny book, girl and duckling grow in their understanding of what it is to care for each other, discovering that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding tight. Children and parents together will adore this fond exploration of growing up while learning about the joys of love offered and love returned. 
What I Think: I'm in love with Love Is! This is such a super sweet book. It's a book that captures the tender love between a child and her pet. This book is a perfect mentor text for looking at how words and illustrations work together.  But it's also a great mentor text for practicing visualizing and looking at how an author shows instead of tells. I love making the connection between reading and writing for students. When we write, we use good reading strategies like visualizing to help us understand what we are reading but at the same time, we can examine what craft moves the author made in order to help us visualize. Adding this level of thinking helps students more deeply understand how the act of writing impacts our readers. Even young writers can start to realize the author makes specific choices when he or she writes and this text is a great way to bring about this discussion.
     The specific snatch of text I chose would be one page I might even read before showing students. I would ask them to visualize and imagine and I might even think aloud my connection to the main character. As a mom, I remember having to wake up to feed my babies in the middle of the night and more recently, I had to wake up to feed our puppy in the middle of the night. The illustration captures the feeling perfectly so building up the suspense would get kids thinking and visualizing and then they could compare what they were thinking to what the illustrator drew.
Snatch of Text:  

"Love is noisy midnight feedings,

shoe box right beside the bed."

Writing Prompt: What impact do the illustrations have on the story? How do the illustrations and the text work together? Can you write about a time in your life when you loved something and had to let it go?

The Girl Who Drank The Moon

Title: The Girl Who Drank The Moon 
Author: Kelly Barnhill 
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers 
Publication Date: August 9th, 2016 
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Novel  
GoodReads Summary: Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. 

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.
 The acclaimed author of The Witch’s Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic. 
What I Think: I got lost in Xan and Luna's world which to me, illustrates just how effective Kelly Barnhill's writing is. She brings Xan and Luna and all the other characters to life and in so clearly developing the characters, she brings their world to life as well. Reading her writing had me looking at people and my own characters in a different way. I thought about what each of my characters want and what propels the story forward because of it. I noticed more in my own characters but also in people around me. I've never thought I could write fantasy before but this story has me believing I can. It's just so full of heart and rich with description.
    As a mentor text it's a remarkable text to help readers think about characters and how each character has to have his or her own story arc. Knowing what drives each character and motivates him or her helps to tell a more rounded story. I've thought about qualities of characters before but this is an amazing mentor text for thinking about what each character wants.
Snatch of Text: 
"The madwoman in the Tower could not remember her own name.
She could remember no one's name.
What was a name, anyway? You can't hold it up. You can't smell it. You can't rock it to sleep. You can't whisper your love to it over and over again. There once was a name that she treasured above all others. But it had flown away, like a bird. And she could not coax it back." (p. 127)

"For the people who loved Luna, time passed in a blur. Luna, however, worried that she might never be twelve. Each day felt like a heavy stone to be hoisted to the top of a very tall mountain." (p. 152)
Writing Prompt: Write about a character and what he or she might want more than anything.

Crenshaw

Title: Crenshaw 
Author: Katherine Applegate 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. 
What I Think: As soon as I got home from Nerdcamp, I wanted to read this with Peanut right away. I read it aloud to him and we spent time thinking through the story and what was happening. He loves The One and Only Ivan and was captured by Crenshaw right away but the abstractness of Crenshaw himself made it a little more difficult to process. But Katherine Applegate does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life and allowing readers to connect with them by so carefully telling their story. I started to grab my favorite snatches of text and had to stop because there are just so many wonderful words in this story. Katherine's words just pack so much punch. They are powerful.
     I led a session on descriptive writing in non-fiction this summer at Nerdcamp. I shared one of my favorite NPR segments by Frank Deford called "Don't Overlook The Unsung Umpire; Referees Can Be Pretty, Too". His description is remarkable and listening to him read his words truly brings strong images to mind. The power of descriptive writing is that it allows readers to visualize and feel as though they are there in the moment, seeing what the author sees, feeling what the author or character feels. Stopping to marvel at amazing writing is a great opportunity invite students to look at writing that moves them and to notice what the author is doing. I would take time to stop and relish in Katherine's words while reading Crenshaw while at the same time thinking about the characters, making connections and inferring how they might be feeling. Crenshaw is a book that I love, but this can be done with any text - even any sentence - that you like from something you have read. But Katherine has a knack for describing how characters are feeling and helping you truly feel what they feel so I would zone in on that with Crenshaw.
     I'm thrilled that our local independent bookstore is participating in the Crenshaw Nationwide Food Drive. Reading about a main character who was homeless and may be homeless again really helped my kids to think through what this might be like. They asked lots of great questions that showed me how much they were processing Jackson's life and his story. I'm happy to see Katherine bring attention to homelessness in our country. It's a good reminder to everyone that we might not know someone's story and that it's important to try and learn more about what people meet have dealt with or are dealing with and to show compassion by doing so. I believe that in telling our stories and listening to others' stories, we are better able to work together and accomplish more.
Read Together: Grades 2 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 7 
Read With: Yard Sale by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Lauren Castillo, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson with illustrations by E.B. Lewis, Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Paperboy by Vince Vawter 
Snatch of Text: 
     "It was late June, nice and warm, but I shivered.
     I felt the way you do the instant before you leap into the deep end of a pool.
     You're on your way to somewhere else. You're not there yet. But you know there's no turning back." (p. 5)

     "Maybe that's why I liked the name Crenshaw. It felt like a blank piece of paper before you draw on it.
     It was an anything-is-possible kind of name." (p. 27)

     "The sun was beginning to set. The sky was tiger-colored, with stripes of black clouds." (p. 36)

     "'There's no such thing as magic,' I said.
     'Music is magic,' said my mom.
     'Love is magic,' said my dad.
     'Rabbits in a hat are magic,' said Robin.
     'I would put Krispy Kreme donuts in the magic category,' said my dad.
     'How about the smell of a new baby?' asked my mom.
     'Kitties are magic!' Robin yelled.
     'Indeed,' said my dad, scratching Aretha's ear, 'And don't forget dogs.'" (p. 38)     

Writing Prompts: Write about something you would want to know the truth about. Even if it would be hard to know or hard to deal with, something that you would rather know about than not. 
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Perseverance, Courage, Determination, Growing Up, Adversity 

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The Sky Painter Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Title: The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist 
Author: Margarita Engle 
Illustrator: Aliona Bereghici 
Publisher: Two Lions 
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Poetry/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Louis loves to watch birds. He takes care of injured birds and studies how they look and how they move. His father wants him to become an engineer, but Louis dreams of being a bird artist. To achieve this dream, he must practice, practice, practice. He learns from the art of John James Audubon. But as Louis grows up, he begins to draw and paint living, flying birds in their natural habitats.

Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874–1927) is now known as the father of modern bird art. He traveled with many scientific expeditions all over the world. His best-known works—paintings for habitat exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York—are still beloved by visitors today. His art helped to encourage wildlife conservation, inspiring people to celebrate and protect the world of wings.Poems by Newbery Honor–winning author Margarita Engle and illustrations by Aliona Bereghici capture the life of Louis Fuertes and the deep sense of wonder that he felt when he painted the sky.   
What I Think: Before reading Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt, I didn't know much about John James Audubon. Because Audubon's artwork plays such a key role in that book, I learned how influential he was. Bereghici's artwork in The Sky Painter is beautiful and unique. She has a way of making the vibrant colors sound soft and gentile like the birds she portrays in the illustrations.

I really like how Engle used poetry to break up the story, creating purposeful pauses between pieces of the story. They lyrical text works so well as poems and she offers a variety of samples of descriptive writing to look at. In the snatch of text alone, readers can look at alliteration, rhythm, simile, and metaphor.   

Poetry also offers a great opportunity to look at word choice. Because poetry naturally limits the number of words, it's critical that each word have a purpose. By paying attention to Engle's word choice, we can look at how they create an image that the reader can visualize. Recognizing this connection between reading and writing is helpful as a reader practices good reading strategies as much as for a writer practicing incorporating literary elements to help the reader be able to visualize. 
Read Together: Grade K - 6 
Read Alone: Grade 2 - 6 
Read With: She's Wearing a Dead Bird On Her Head by Kathryn Lasky, Look Up! by Annette LeBlanc Cate 
Snatch of Text:  

Alaska

"I whistle.

Birds answer.

I follow.

Blue shadows.

White snow.

Clear ice.

The beauty

of flight

like a dance

in the clouds,

a graceful ballet

of wild swans." 

Writing Prompts: Using what you know about descriptive writing to write about something you have observed in nature.  
Topics Covered: Integration - Science, Integration - Art, Nature, Passion, Admiration, Family  
Additional Resources: Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet and novelist whose work has been published in many countries. Her books include The Poet Slave of Cuba, winner of the Pura Belpré Award for narrative and the Américas Award; The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor book; Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian, a Kirkus Best Book for Children; and The Lightning Dreamer, Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist, winner of the 2014 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Young Adult/Children’s Literature. Margarita lives in California, where she enjoys bird-watching and helping her husband with his volunteer work for wilderness search-and-rescue dog training programs. To learn more, and to download a free activity kit for THE SKY  PAINTER, visit: www.margaritaengle.com.

Today happens to be Poetry Friday so hop on over to No Water River for other poetry posts!

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Follow along on THE SKY PAINTER blog tour!

Mon, Apr 20	Library Fanatic	http://www.thelibraryfanatic.com/
Tues, Apr 21	Kid Lit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Wed, Apr 22	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Thurs, Apr 23	5 Minutes for Books	http://books.5minutesformom.com/
Fri, Apr 24	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3DP0vkvgi
Sat, Apr 25	Booking Mama	http://www.bookingmama.net/
Mon, Apr 27	Sharpread	http://mrcolbysharp.com/
Tues, Apr 28	The Children's Book Review	http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/
Wed, Apr 29	Cracking the Cover	http://www.crackingthecover.com/
Thurs, Apr 30	A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust	http://www.foodiebibliophile.com/
Fri, May 1	Archimedes Notebook	http://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com

*Thanks to Blue Slip Media for 

a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review 

and the opportunity to offer this giveaway!*

Dear Mr. Washington

Title: Dear Mr. Washington 
Author: Lynn Cullen 
Illustrator: Nancy  Carpenter 
Publisher: Dial Books 
Publication Date: January 8th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: Based on the true story behind Gilbert Stuart's famous portraits of Washington, this funny historical read will leave rascals, ruffians, and troublemakers of all ages laughing.

Charlotte, James, and baby John have promised to be on their very best behavior for when George Washington comes to have his portrait painted by their father, Gilbert Stuart. But, it seems like every time George Washington comes to visit, Charlotte has to write another apology letter, even when they try to follow George Washington’s Rules of Good Behavior. If these whippersnappers want any dessert, they are going to have to learn some manners—and fast! What results is a hilarious chain of events, a giant mess…and a painting that will be remembered for centuries to come. 
What I Think: I adore how Nancy Carpenter brings Lynn Cullen's imagined history to life. I happened to visit a photography class this week where the teacher was talking about early photography and how people had to sit sit for a few minute. She shared how this made many people look very stiff and almost unnatural in photographs. I recently saw something about this on Twitter and it was so interesting to me. It's a similar case with George Washington having to sit for the artist Gilbert Stuart. So much of what we capture in history are big moments but the behind-the-scenes stories seem to add so much personality and I find that they help us better understand the reality of life. Lynn Cullen only imagined what might have happened as George Washington posed for Gilbert Stuart but it's a wonderful opportunity to discuss etiquette and spur some imagination.
     As a mentor text, I would ask students to think about a big(ish) even in their lives - maybe the first day of school, their favorite birthday, a visit to a special place. If they have a picture of the event, they can bring it in or they can draw a picture of it as a reference. Then ask students to tell the story of that day or leading up to that day. Instantly, what comes to mind for me is my wedding day. We have all sorts of beautiful pictures of my wedding day but what those pictures don't show are that my dad cut his finger badly and had to the emergency room to see if he needed stitches hours before we had to leave for the airport (we had a destination wedding), that my dad (in his haste) accidentally ran over my carry on as he was backing out of the driveway, that my cousin (who was a Maid of Honor) locked herself out of her hotel room minutes before she was supposed to leave for the ceremony and had to convince a hotel worker to let her back in so she could get changed into her dress. There are other stories I can tell about that weekend and all of these details that I know and remember make my wedding so much more special. This is an opportunity to help students see how they might expand upon an event. Students might even interview a family member or another adult about an experience they remember and ask him or her to tell about all the little moments leading up to that big event.
     Within this story, Washington sends the children some rules to follow to practice good behavior. Of course, Nancy Carpenter illustrates this perfectly - having Washington act out some silly things. What if students were asked to write some rules of good behavior for adults? Students are observant and can be super intuitive. I think it would be great to discuss some rules they might want to share with adults or possibly some rules that seem logical but that are important to point out. This might be an opportunity to take pictures of non-examples and examples and put them into a presentation or video. I would suggest doing them Nancy-Carpenter-style and not taking this too seriously - add a little imagination, have a little fun!
Read Together: Grades 2 - 6  
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 5 
Read With: M is for Mischief by Linda Ashman and Nancy Carpenter, 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter, Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis 
Snatch of Text:  

"RULES OF GOOD BEHAVIOR FOR BOYS AND GIRLS

1. Do not be a Peacock, looking to see how nicely your Shoes

and Stockings fit and how Handsome you are.

2. Do not run in the Streets no go too

slowly with your Mouth open.

...nor Shake your Arms nor kick the earth

no go upon your Toes in a Dancing fashion."

Writing Prompts: Write your own rules of good behavior - but instead of writing them for boys and girls - write them for adults in your life. How might you keep them simple but send a clear message at the same time. Choose an event or moment in your life that stands out to you - take some time to share the little stories that make that moment memorable to you and bring it to life for your reader.
Topics Covered: Family, Etiquette, Imagination, Integration - Art, Integration - Social Studies 

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Ranger In Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail

Title: Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail 
Author: Kate Messner  
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: January 6th, 2015 
Genre/Format: Mild Science Fiction/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Meet Ranger! He's a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always saves the day!

Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can't officially pass the test because he's always getting distracted by squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious first aid kit in the garden and is transported to the year 1850, where he meets a young boy named Sam Abbott. Sam's family is migrating west on the Oregon Trail, and soon after Ranger arrives he helps the boy save his little sister. Ranger thinks his job is done, but the Oregon Trail can be dangerous, and the Abbotts need Ranger's help more than they realize! 
What I Think: First of all, this brought back memories of playing the computer game Oregon Trail when I was in elementary school. I loved that game. I think it might still be around...how fun that would be to connect this book with the game! I think part of what made the game so interesting was that anything could happen on the Oregon Trail. You had to pay attention to what you needed and how to make sure your family had enough food and water but they could still get sick and die of any number of things. I think the real life part of the game was fascinating. And the adventure mixed with the risk is also in Kate's book. Readers get to be right there with Sam on the Oregon Trail in Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail.
     Kate does a great job of bringing the characters and the places to life, describing them with all the five senses throughout the book. Showing instead of telling is a great way to introduce descriptive writing with students. I know showing instead of telling is still something I think about often as I'm writing. Even though I understand it, I have to remind myself to put it into practice. Oftentimes reading a mentor text, visualizing what the author is describing, and drawing what you can imagine is a great way to see what details the author gave you. In a world where students are asked to provide evidence, students can draw and then go back into the text and find what the author wrote that prompted them to draw what they did. This is also an interesting way to look at inference because sometimes students infer and use the author's clues to visualize. Students might realize that even though the author didn't explicitly say something they drew, they can explain that they inferred it based on what they know and what clues the author gave them.
     Next students can draw or use a picture as a writing tool as they try to describe with the five senses. To see if they were clear enough in their descriptions, they might ask a friend to read what they have written and see what how their drawing matches up.
Read Together: Grades 3 - 5 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 6 
Read With: Time Warp Trio (series) by Jon Scieszka, Locomotive by Brian Floca
Snatch of Text:  

     "Sam stood up and sighed. He shoved a hand into his pocket and felt the folded-up friendship quilt squares his cousins had made. They hadn't finished in time to include them in the big quilt that Aunt Cecelia put together for their family, but they gave them to Sam anyway. He was glad. He liked having three small squares of home in his pocket. One had a picture of Scout, carefully outlined in thread. Another square showed the crooked apple tree by the fence. The third showed the Abbotts' farmhouse and barn, pieced together with colorful scraps of fabric. Sam already missed home so much.

     Pa said it was all right to be sad. 'But your heart has room to love more than one place,' he'd promised." (p. 7)

Writing Prompts: Sam is setting out on a journey along the Oregon Trail with his family. He's sad to leave home but he has a quilt square to remind him of home. If you were leaving home for a long trip or for a long time, what three things would you bring with you or would you take a picture of to remember? Describe those three things and explain why they are important to you.  
Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Loyalty, Determination, Adventure, Integration - Social Studies

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Poetry Friday - Miss Emily

Poetry Friday is at Carol's Corner this week! Be sure to check out all the great poetry posts!

Title: Miss Emily 
Author: Burleigh Muten  
Illustrator: Matt Phelan 
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: March 24th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel In Verse 
GoodReads Summary: Discover the mischievous and affectionate side of a revered poet in this adventure about Emily Dickinson, four young friends, and a traveling circus. 

When an invitation to join Miss Emily in the garden appears, Mattie, Ned, Sally, and Mac know they’re in for some fun because Miss Emily — Emily Dickinson to the rest of us — always has a surprise in store for her young friends. And today’s may be the biggest adventure yet. In Burleigh Mutén’s suspenseful story, beautifully illustrated by celebrated artist Matt Phelan, Mac, the youngest member of the group, tells what happens when a reclusive poet and her band of pretend Gypsies wait for the midnight circus train to arrive.  
What I Think: I definitely know who Emily Dickenson is but I love this story about her and her relationship with some kids who lived near her. It's fun to imagine what it might be like grow up with someone as awesome as Emily Dickenson as your neighbor. I love how Muten brings the fun and adventure of what it might have been like for the kids to life. It's wonderful and fitting that this tribute to Emily Dickenson is written as a novel in verse.
     As a mentor text, I love how poetry is an example of how powerful words can be. They can say so much with only a few words. There is great description in this book. Using simile, metaphors, alliteration and other literary devices, Muten gives the reader opportunities to visualize the characters, the setting and to feel like he or she is there in the moment.
Read Together: Grades 3 - 5  
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 5 
Read With: The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Penderwicks (series) by Jeanne Birdsall, The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
Snatch of Text:  
"I stepped outside
and swiftly
swung my hand
up to my forehead,
shooting it skyward
in a quick salute." (p. 1)

"I took the back stairs to the kitchen,
slid through the pantry to the hall,
and slipped out the side door.
From the dark veranda, the backyard shadows
reached out like sharks and whales in the blackest sea.
I leaped from the top step like a pirate jumping ship,
and swam across the bay to the island ---
up a hill to the fence that beckoned beside the barn
and through the door that Miss Emily
had promised would be open." (p. 16)
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Visualizing 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Imagery, Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you took a chance and did something adventurous or out of the ordinary or new to you. How did it go and would you do things differently now? 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Adventure, Imagination, Consequences, Honesty 

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