Goddess Girls

Title: Aphrodite the Diva (Goddess Girls #6)

Author: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin

Publication Date: August, 20112

Genre/Format: Fantasy-Mythology/Novel

Goodreads Summary: These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy. Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training – Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis – as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most priviledged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills. In book 6, an exchange student from Egypt, Isis, is encroaching on Aphrodite's match-making turf. Will she also edge Aphrodite out of her group of friends?

What Kellee Thinks: I am definitely going to read more of the Goddess Girls series. They are as fun as the covers are. I am so glad that I finally picked one up and read it. What I loved the most is that the story was very much one that you could understand without being knowledgeable about mythology. Much of it was explained and by the end you would be taught what was essential to the story. It even taught me knew mythology- I didn't know about Pygmalion or Metis, Athena's mother, being turned into a fly. 
     This particular story also had some Egyptian mythology in it, introducing Ra, Isis and 3 other Egyptian goddesses. This series is a great one to add to fans of mythology (yes, it is primarily a girl book though I can definitely see parts of it being used in a classroom and entertaining both boys and girls). 

     The book also had a pretty important moral to the story which I think is not preached, but will definitely make the reader think about their friends, choices and enemies.

Title: Artemis the Loyal (Goddess Girls #7)

Author: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin

Publication Date: December, 2011

Genre/Format: Fantasy-Mythology/Novel

Goodreads Summary: It's time for the annual Olympic Game, and the four goddessgirls are not happy! It's boys only- and the girls at MOA are not pleased. 
     Led by Artemis, Athena, Persephone, and Aphrodite, the ladies of Mount Olympus hatch a plan to get Zeus to open up the games to everyone. Will they succeed- or end up watching from the sidelines again? 

     These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a crush on an unlikely boy.  Goddess Girls follows four goddess-in-training - Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis- as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social live at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged gods and goddess of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills. 

What Jen Thinks: This book was so much fun! I am a huge fan of girl power books and this book was all about girl power! Artemis and her friends are not happy about being shut out of the Olympics Games merely because they are girls. I love how they take matters into their own hands instead of simply accepting that they can't compete. They start a petition and talk to Zeus and do their best to change his mind about only allowing boys to be part of the Games. 
     This book is perfect now that the Olypmics are rolling around. I think this book provides teachers and parents with an opportunity to talk to students - girls and boys - about how girls weren't always allowed to compete in sports the way that boys do. The kids in this book actually debate over whether it would make sense for the girls to be able to compete or not. I think this book would fit in nicely with books about sports, about mythology, or for talking about equality and debating girls' in sports. 
     The characters in this book are kids I really think tweens will relate to (like it says in the summary). The authors capture the voice of middle grade students really well. Artemis' inner dialogue and that conversations she has with other characters in the book are great examples of dialogue for young readers and writers.

Read Together: Grades 3 to 7

Read Alone: Grades 4 to 8

Read With: Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus or Kane Chronicles series, Tera Lynn Childs's Oh. My. Gods. series, Carolyn Hennesy's Pandora series, Dussie by Nancy Springer, non-fiction about the Olympics Games and history of women's rights.

Snatch of Text: "His expression was fierce and his meaty hands were balled into fists. Wild storm winds whirled around him, whooshing scrolls out of passing students' hands, tangling their hair, and whipping at their chitons and togas. Thunderbolts crashed toward the ground, tearing up grass and splitting trees. 
     "Whoa," said Persephone. "Someone's grumpy today."
     Aphrodite glanced at Athena. Aside from being King of the Gods, Ruler of the Heavens, and the principal of MOA, Zeus was also Athena's dad." (#6, pg. 15)

Mentor Text for: Characterization, Dialogue, Personal Narrative, Expository, Persuasive

Writing Prompts: Using what you know about the gods and goddesses of mythology, write your own myth. Read more about the history of the Olympic Games and then share what you learned in a form of expository text (brochure, poster) using non-fiction text features.; Write a persuasive essay about why girls should be able to compete in boys sports. Write about a time in your life when you felt strongly about something that needed to be changed and what you did to make the change happen.

Topics Covered: Bullies, Friends, Enemies, Love, Fitting In, School, Competition, Equality, Mythology

Kellee *hearts* Aphrodite the Diva:

Jen *hearts* Artemis the Loyal:

 and
**Thank you to the author, Joan Holub, for sending us copies of these books to reveiw!**

Babymouse For President!

Title: Babymouse for President     
Author: Jennifer Holm
Illustrator: Matthew Holm  
Publisher: Random House   
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Graphic Novel 
GoodReads Summary:  A Cupcake in every locker! It's election season and if anyone knows what this country . . . er, what the student council needs, it's Babymouse. The only trouble is, everyone else is running for President, too—even Babymouse's locker! Will Felicia Furrypaws turn out the meangirl coalition? Does Babymouse have what it takes to become the voice of the people? Find out in Babymouse for President! Remember, a vote for Babymouse is a vote for cupcakes! 
What I Think: I always love Babymouse. It's hard not to love Babymouse. If you ask me, this book, and all the Babymouse books really, are perfect examples of characterization. Jenni and Matt Holm do a great job of bringing her to life between how she is drawn to what she says and how she interacts with the narrator. They do an amazing job of bringing her to life with a lot of personality.
     One great thing about graphic novels is that kids can read them fairly quickly but they are so engaging that kids can read them again and again. I'm a new fan to rereading but it really makes sense to reread graphic novels that are short enough to read and reread without it being a chore. I love that kids can read through and get all the elements of a story and understand how a story comes together and plot development in such a fun way.
Read Together: Grades 3 - 5
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 6 
Read With: Other books in the Babymouse series by Jennifer and Matthew Holm,  the Lunch Lady series by Jarret Krosoczka
Snatch of Text: 

Reading Strategies to Practice: Making Connections, Identifying Story Elements 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Persuasive, Characterization  
Writing Prompts: Write a letter to your classmates or teacher about what you think needs to change in your school and why. 
Topics Covered: Student Council, Dreams, Taking Risks, Friendship, Confidence, Perseverance

I *heart* It:

I participated in the Nerdy Book Club Babymouse for President contest and 
won two copies of Babymouse for President! I was so excited that I'm giving one away! 
***The giveaway is now closed!***

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 07/16/12

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too! We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: This week I read Pathways to the Common Core and loved it. I have had very minimal PD on Common Core so this really helped me understand it so much more and to understand the intentions and the possibility the Common Core standards offer teachers. I definitely recommend this book! I finished Fallen In Love which is the 3.5 book in the Fallen series. I'm excited to listen to Rapture - the end! I started listening to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami and should finish this week. I also read Babymouse for President and will be reviewing it tomorrow - along with a giveaway! I also started Above World which I'll be reviewing at the end of the week.

Kellee Says: This week I had a pretty good reading week. I finished Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald and I can see why some people wouldn't like the anti-reading message, but I felt that it actually taught the importance of reading through an almost reverse psychology method and humor. I actually had time to finish my audiobook, Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel, and I was so surprised at how well done a book about bats was. Kenneth Oppel is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite authors. 
     I also finished a couple of graphic novels, a nonfiction short story collection, and a middle grade novel. First, Maria Selke was kind enough to send me a copy of Princeless's first book which is a collection of Jeremy Whitely's comics and I adored it! I now see why she raves about the series. The other graphic novel was Power Play by Liam O'Donnell which was an interesting book that had a narrative but mixed in a bit of information as well. The nonfiction book I read was True Teen Stories which had 5 stories dealing with different issues ranging from anorexia to Sudan's Lost Boys. Finally, I read Chase Against Time by Steve Reifman which I will be reviewing for you next week. 

Reviewed Last Week:

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Guys Read: The Sports Pages Giveaway winner is:

Deborah Baldwin

Congratulations to Deborah! 
Thanks again to Walden Pond Press for providing three Guys Read books for us to give away!

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: I'll finish listening to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and then I think I want to listen to the third in the Penderwicks series. I'll finish reading Above World to review on Saturday and also plan on starting Jeff Anderson's 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know. I also have Astronaut Academy by Dave Roman that I haven't read yet and am excited to read. 

Kellee Says: This week, I really don't know what I am going to read. I have caught up on my review books and I'm in-between committee readings, so I think I'll just have to go into my box of books I brought from school and/or my Kindle and see what I find. I do have a bunch of Netgalley books to read, so I'll probably try to read some of those. We'll see next week I get to. 

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please link up below and don't forget to check out other blogs to see what they are reading!

 and

TMT Summer Writing Group - Week Seven

I have so thoroughly enjoyed finding new friends through all of this Teachers Write fun! Andy has been visiting my blog on Sundays as well as Kate and Gae's blog during the week. I asked him to share how he is thinking about applying all of the summer Teachers Write! fun to his teaching when school starts again this fall. Really quickly, I just want to say thank you and hooray for everyone who is joining in this summer! It really is important that we are writing to help our students be writers, too!

Organization

As we navigate our way through Teachers Write, there is definitely an important theme throughout about being organized.  From as far back as June 4^th and Kate’s post about “Making Time,” we have learned about the importance of staying organized with our writing and “making time” in our day to write.  Since that post about organizing time, we have read about organizing our writing (June 11^th – Outlining/Calendar) and critique groups (June 14^th).   We have all learned so much this summer.  And if you are like me, an avid reader, a newbie writer, and a teacher who is passionate about teaching children (I realize that I just described nearly everyone following along), you want to organize all of this information to use during the school year.

The school year is just a few short weeks away (for me it’s still many weeks away – I hate to rub it in, but I taught for almost the entire month of June in a hot, humid, and teenage smelly middle school – temps were in the 90’s on the last week), so it is time to start planning how you will utilize what you have learned this summer.  You know that if you don’t plan to use this wonderful Teachers Write knowledge in August, November will arrive and you will be doing the same thing as last year.  I think I can help save you from this.

I created a “Teachers Write!” binder (it contains over 100 pages) to help plan for the first four months of the upcoming school year. The binder has tabs for each section and each day’s post has blank space either at the top of the page or the bottom for taking notes.  Here is how I organized my binder:

Section 1 – Week 1, includes Friday Feedback and Sunday TMT Writing Group

Section 2 – Week 2 (Same as Week 1 

with critique group information and extra articles)

Section 3 – Week 3 (Same as Week 1 with print copies of all 
the writing I accomplished and posted – this could be a spot to put your own work)

Section 4 – Week 4 (Same as Week 1)

Section 5 – Week 5 (Same as Week 1)

Section 6 – Week 6 (IN PROGRESS)

Section 7 – Jo’s Monday Warm-ups

Section 8 – Website and blog information 

(helpful to my writing and lesson planning)

*Obviously these sections may not work for you, but I believe taking 

the time to organize the information now will help when the school year begins.

I know what you’re thinking – the question is, “What do I do with this information?”   
And that leads us to the next topic – Utilization.

Utilization

The entire reason you organize information it to use the information (Research 101).  We all teach in different grade levels, different socio-economic and cultural settings, with different material, and to different students, so some of these suggested activities may not work for you, but feel free to tweak and adjust the activity to fit into your classroom (if it fits perfectly – steal it!).

My school uses a basal reader, so I need to be very careful when planning my time.  Some things, like writing and read aloud every other day will always be part of my daily schedule, but other things, like grammar, spelling, and test prep I can squeeze into my weekly schedule.  Of course, the basal reader has a story that needs to be read, but I can also practice the reading skills with a novel (this is the path that I usually take).  Here are some activities that I will be trying this year in Room 103 (thanks to Teachers Write!):

1.     Noun regenerator, adjective regenerator, verb regenerator after specific grammar lessons and for writing warm-up; also fake work regenerator for identification of context clues - http://www.wordgenerator.net/noun-generator.php

2.     Writing Hall of Frame – each student will frame one piece of writing this year and each 9” x 12” frame will be placed on the back wall (publication is so important – isn’t that what WE are all striving for?)

3.     Comic Strip brainstorm – students will draw six frames story of their story before writing a first draft

4.     Taking favorite lines from a novel to spark ideas – this came from the July 5^th post about taking lines of poetry from D. Dina Friedman – Thank you! (Example – from Wonder – the universe takes care of all of its birds. – the kids will write about the line)

5.     Story Stew – descriptive writing when we write about our Thanksgiving feast

6.     Wordle to Character’s perspective (creative writing) – the students will post their stories on Wordle and then write about the most used word from a supporting character’s perspective

These are just some of my ways that I will utilize Teachers Write this year in the classroom.  I hope that you will answer my question (below) and share some of the ways you will be utilizing this information.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and a SPECIAL thank you to Jen for letting me share (this is the first time I have ever shared on anyone’s blog – my shirt is covered in sweat and I am feeling a bit dizzy).

I’ve been dying to do this!  Remember this line from Wonder: I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.

Today is the day that we give Kate, Gae, Jen, and all of the authors that have shared (or will share) a standing ovation.  Join me.  I am standing and clapping like crazy.  Thanks again!

Thank you, Andy! Don't you just love how organized Andy is with his binder? Teachers Write is really an experience to grow as writers but also as teachers. I love how Andy is already thinking ahead to how to use the activities that have worked for him with his students! 

My rules for the TMT Summer Writing Group:

1. We respect each other and the types of writing we do.

2. We only criticize each other constructively.

3. We are positive and encourage each other at all times.

4. We recognize and maintain this as a safe environment.

**I reserve every right to put the smackdown

on anyone who messes with our positive energy.**

Today, in the comments section:
How will you use the Teachers Write writing lessons in your classroom?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the not-fun part?)

What was the peak of your week? (The bet part, the most-fun part?)

What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week of writing!

 

Dead End in Norvelt

Title: Dead End in Norvelt

Author: Jack Gantos

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Publication Date: September, 2011

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

What I Think: Jack Gantos knows how to weave humor into a great story, even the weirdest situations, and Dead End is no exception. Meet Jack. He is 11 years old, has chronic nose bleeds and just got grounded for the summer. Thank goodness Miss Volker, his neighbor and native Norveltener, needs his help writing obituaries for the newspaper since her hands are too arthritic to write. This new pairing of odd friends causes for Jack to have a very unpredictable summer indeed! 
     One of the things I loved the most about this book were the characters. I don't know how based in fact they were, but they were what made this book great. Jack is a unique boy (though to me, he seems like a pretty typical gifted boy) who is aiming to please and is curious about everything. Mr. Spizz is a crazy old man who is the town gossip. Miss Volker is a feisty lady who just calls it like she sees it. And his parents are always feuding and putting Jack in the middle (causing many of the conflicts of the story). They were what moved the story along- you had to know how the lives of these characters would resolve. 
     I also love how the book is a mixture of humor, history and obituaries. It takes place in the 60s and the feel of the book brings you to this era. Also through Jack's constant reading of history, Gantos gives "mini-lessons" in Cleopatra & Antony, the Incas, the Aztecs, the atomic bomb and many other times in history. Lastly, I loved the obituaries that were included. They were written so well and would be a great activity to do in class. 
     Overall, this book was well-written, funny and had great characterization. A great read.

Read Together: Grades 4 to 8

Read Alone: Grades 5 to 8

Read With: Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, Hound Dog True by Linda Urban, Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Snatch of Text: "The writer of the book called Cortes a great man. As Miss Volker had once said, 'Be suspicious of history that is written by conquerors.' I bet the writer didn't ask any Aztecs what they thought of Cortes." (p. 89-90)

      "Hey, Dad," I called behind him as he walked toward the tractor. "Which do you think is more deadly? Past history or future history?"
     He didn't even slow down to think about it. "Future history," he yelled back without hesitation. "Each war gets worse because we get better at killing each other."
     That sounded so true. At first cavemen bashed each other's heads in with rocks and sticks. By the time of the Crusaders it was long swords and arrows, and at Gettysburg they were blasting each other to bits from cannons filled with lead balls, iron chains, railroad spikes, and door knobs. And atomic bombs made future wars look even more hopeless. No humans will survive. All the animals will die. Fish will rot in acidic water. All vegetation will wilt in polluted air. There will be nothing left but enormous insects the size of dinosaurs." (p. 115-116)

Mentor Text for: Character Development, Metaphors, Humor, Tone

Writing Prompts: Miss Volker's obituaries always start with information about the life of the person that passed away followed by history that happened on the day they passed away. Pick a person who has passed away and complete an obituary like Miss Volker's. 

Topics Covered: Cold War, Vietnam War, Hells Angels, Death, Obituaries, Parents

I *heart* It:

 

Monster Ninjas

Last October, I interviewed Ryan Jacobson about his book Jack London's Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book. Now Ryan, is working on a new project! It's called Monster Ninjas and is a kid-friendly webcomic. I am slowly dipping my toes into this world of comics. As a kid, I read Garfield and Archie comics but had never been into a comic book store. I took my son to Free Comic Book Day in May and then we were in Michigan this past weekend for Kids Read Comics. I get along much better with the graphic novels that I have read but I am starting to figure out little by little where to find good content for kids.


A webcomic is also known as an online comic or an Internet comic. Most webcomics are published exclusively on a website and readers read the comic as it is posted to the site. I love this when I think about kids who want to draw comics! What a great way for kids to draw and share their work with others. Lots of potential here! I have used Make Beliefs Comix for students to create their own comics to talk about what it might be like to be deaf or hard of hearing. It's a great tool for kids who aren't excited about drawing. 

You can visit the Monster Ninjas' site to read this awesome kid-friendly comic for free! Kellee and I are also excited that Ryan has asked us to host a contest for one of our readers to be chosen to be drawn into the Monster Ninjas story as a zombie! How awesome is this? 

Here's an example of how the author and illustrator have been zombified!

Pretty cool, right? I know you all want to be made into zombies! We're trying out a new giveaway form. 

Enter your name and e-mail below and then you can do other things to earn extra entries! 

The contest will start on Friday, July 13th, 2012 at 5:00 AM CST and will run thru Friday, July 20th, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST. One winner will be chosen and will be announced on Monday, July 23rd, 2012. The winner's e-mail will be sent to Ryan Jacobson, the author, who will work with him or her from there. The winner: (a.) will need to provide a photo and (b.) will need to sign a release that grants permission to use his or her likeness.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 and

The Summer of May

Title: The Summer of May

Author: Cecelia Galante

Publisher: Aladdin

Publication Date: April, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Thirteen-year-old May is living in a desolate situation with her grandmother, who is mourning the loss of May’s mother, and her father, who is completely absent. May resents her new dangerous, run-down, low-income housing neighborhood and often picks fights and gets into trouble. But when May is caught graffiti-ing her least favorite teacher’s classroom, she is faced with a choice: expulsion, or one-on-one summer school with the teacher she most detests. Begrudgingly, May chooses summer school, and she ultimately learns that her teacher has a secret past—and might just hold the key to answers no one else will give May about her mother.

What I Think: This is one that I will not forget. I think this novel will connect easily with a wide variety of people. First, May feels an anger that many pre-teens and teens probably feel and the way she describes it is the best I've ever read in a book. The feeling of being a tea pot that is boiling is a perfect analogy to rage that is hard to control and unwarranted. Something so small can make you feel so angry and then it gets out of control. In the novel, May works on controlling it and matures so much throughout the novel. It is such a powerful thing to read about.

May's family situation is also unique. Her mother left her and she lives with a father who works too much and often ignores her and with a grandmother who locks herself away ever since her mother left. Many readers will connect with the (lack of) family situation that May has. May also struggles with keeping friends (mostly because of her temper) and that is a tough thing for all preteens and teens. Specifically trying to be and keep a good friend.

It will also connect to all of my teacher friends because of the importance of May's English teacher in the novel. I love that not only does May evolve in the book, but that Miss Movado does too. She has realizations that many of us probably have had during our teaching and is striving to make a difference in a young student's life as we all aim to. You may not like her too much at first, but just as May realizes things about herself, Miss Movado does too. It is another powerful thing to read about. AND it is a great resource for the language arts or English classroom just as a mentor text for talking about poetry or writing. The book touches on many English class topics such as: Imagery, Personification, "The Raven", "Harlem", Writing, and Poetry.

I will say, like Miss Movado preaches in the book, don't judge a book by its cover. The cover (and description) of this book do not do the book justice. First, May is a 13 year old girl, not 12 as the description says and not 9 like the cover portrays. Also, she doesn't go on a fire escape to dream and she doesn't have a cat. I think the cover is going to drive away readers who need this book.

Read Together: Grades 6 to 8

Read Alone: Grades 6 to 10

Read With: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen-Fernlund, No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman, Just Juice by Karen Hesse

Snatch of Text: "...They're not meant to be rocket science," Movado the Avocado said. "And there is never any right answer, May. They're your words. Your thoughts. The point is just to get you writing." 
     "But why? Why are English teachers always so gung ho about getting us to write?"
     "Because it's important," Movado the avocado said. "You need to know how to compose a good sentence, whether in a letter, a story, or a poem. And sometimes, when you write well, you get a chance to see things in a whole different way."
     "My favorite time of day is lunch. I am usually starving by the time lunch comes around, so it's a good time." I repeated my words in a dull tome of voice. "That's seeing things in a whole different way?"
     "Maybe not yet," Movado the Avocado said. "But it's writing. And like anything else, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it."
     "I hate writing."
     "Why?"
     "It's boring. And hard." I tapped the side of my head. "I can never get what's in my head down on paper."
     (p. 82-83)

Mentor Text for: Writing, Poetry, Imagery (Ch. 20 & 29), Personification (Ch. 32 & 33) 

Writing Prompts: Sit outside and close your eyes like May and Ms. Movado did and just listen. What did you hear? What did it sound like? What are some things outside you could bring to life?

Topics Covered: Loss, Family, School, Anger

I *heart* It:

Gabby and Gator

Title: Gabby and Gator 
Author: James Burks 
Illustrator: James Burks
Publisher: Yen Press 
Publication Date: September 2010 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Graphic Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Gator has just never seemed to fit in with the other neighborhood pets...probably because he has a nasty habit of eating the other neighborhood pets. Flushed down the toilet as just a little snapper, Gator spends his days alone in the sewers...

On the streets above, little Gabby has never seemed to fit in with the other kids in town. She'd rather collect bottles and practice her tuba than gossip with the girls down at the pool, but it does get lonely being the only vegetarian on the block...
When Gabby and Gator meet, their fun and adventures prove that the best friends are those who accept you as you are, teeth and all! 
What I Think: After spending the weekend with Nerdy Book Club friends at Kids Read Comics in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I have been thinking a lot about comics and graphic novels. I definitely feel overwhelmed when I walk into a comics store with my five-year-old. Talking with Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier over the weekend helped me realize that, while it might not be appropriate to take my five-year-old into a comic book store just yet, I am already offering him lots of graphic novels that are totally appropriate for his age and are also introducing him to the world of comics. I thought today I would share one of my all-time favorite graphic novels and author/illustrator/cartoonist, James Burks.
I consider Gabby and Gator to be a graphic novel but it is oversized - it's more the size of a picture picture book than anything else. The story is very much like a novel. It starts out with back story from Gator and then readers meet Gabby and see how Gabby and Gator's stories intermix. Neither one of them feel happy, they don't really feel like they fit in...until they meet each other and becomes instant friends. I love the colors and the artwork but I also love these great characters and their friendship.
James Burks has written Beep and Bah which is another well-loved book in our house and has a new graphic novel coming in the fall, Bird and Squirrel On the Run.
Read Together: Grades K - 3 
Read Alone: Grades 3 - 6 
Read With: Beep and Bah by James Burks, Binky the Space Cat (series) and Larf by Ashley Spires, Sidekicks by Dan Santat 
Snatch of Text: There isn't a book trailer for Gabby and Gator but it will hopefully be a cartoon sooner than later. Here's a sample of the animation that gives you an idea of the artwork and the characters! 

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Inferences, Making Predictions 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative  
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you felt different from other kids your age. Did you change to be more like them or did you stay true to your beliefs and who you are? 
Topics Covered: Friendship, Independence, Values, Morals, Bullies, Identity, Adversity 

I *heart* It:

 

Guys Read: The Sports Pages

Title: Guys Read: The Sports Pages     
Edited By: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Walden Pond Press  
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012   
Genre/Format: Sports Fiction/Short Stories 
GoodReads Summary:  Ten stories guaranteed to put you in the ring, under the basket, and right behind home plate, from the following perennial all-stars: Dustin Brown, James Brown, Joseph Bruchac, Chris Crutcher, Tim Green, Dan Gutman, Gordon Korman, Chris Rylander, Anne Ursu, Jacqueline Woodson
What Jen Thinks: I live with a PE teacher (my husband) so I was excited to get the opportunity to read and review Guys Read: The Sports Pages! In our house, we love football and basketball but my husband stays up to date on everything sports. I was excited to see the stories covered a range of sports and included different genres. I also liked that there are stories from current athletes as well as those who played before, who students may not recognize. 
It really doesn't matter what sport the stories are about, if you love sports, I think you will enjoy this book. Really, at the heart of sports stories is the main character. Whether the character is real or fictional, a player or a spectator, he or she has something unique to share about the commitment, the determination, and motivation, and the sheer love of the game. 
As I read, I found myself thinking about one of my students who loves to play hockey. Even though hockey is his passion, I think he would enjoy all of these stories. Last school year, this student wrote about what it feels like to get hit into the boards in a hockey game. We used Gary Schmidt's book Okay For Now as a mentor text and looked at how Schmidt stops a moment in time and explodes it with description. I can see how these stories would have been perfect mentor texts for this particular student who loves sports.
What Kellee Thinks:  I love baseball, so when The Sports Pages' first story was one by Don Gutman about baseball that cracked me up so much that I ran to the other room to tell my husband about it - the book had won me over. Realistically, like most short story collections, I found stories I really enjoyed and others I enjoyed less. Personally, I liked the baseball stories the most because I am a fan where others will like the football stories. Either way, this book has a bit of something for almost all sports lovers: tennis, hockey, basketball, baseball, football, and MMA.

As a teacher, I love short story collections because they can easily be used for read alouds or mentor texts. This particular collection has such a wide mix of texts.  Though I specifically feel that the pieces nonfiction are the best pieces in the collection to use as exemplar texts and each memoir piece is formatted differently- one more of an interview (with Dustin Brown), one more of a humorous narrative (by Don Gutman) and one a personal narrative (by James Brown). I will definitely be purchasing this book because it will be loved (and because the ARC is missing Chris Crutcher's story and I HAVE to read it!). 
Read Together:  Grades 3 to 8
Read Alone:  Grades 4 to 9
Read With:  Guys Read series edited by Jon Sciezska, Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher, Football Genius (series) by Tim Green, sports fiction novels by Mike Lupica, Tim Green, John H. Ritter, Carl Deuker, or John Feinstein
Snatch of Text:  "So what can we learn from all this? 
Nothing! What, you thought there was going to be some kind of moral or lessons in this book? Forget about it. It's just sports. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes you lose for eighty-six years in a row." (Dan Gutman, pg. 16) 

"My parents were right: focusing on getting the best possible education truly has provided me with the foundation to have enjoyed much more in life that I could have ever dreamed. 
Thanks, Mom and Dad." (James Brown, p. 160)
Mentor Text For: Memoirs, Personal Narrative
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you wanted something so badly - whether it's about being great at a sport or something else - and how determination felt to you.
Topics Covered: Sports - Baseball, Tennis, Football, Hockey, Mixed Martial Arts, Basketball; Identity, Rivalry, Competition, Humor, Bullying, Reflection, Revenge, Motivation, Friendship

Jen and Kellee *heart* It:

**Thank you so much to Walden Pond Press for giving us a copy of Guys Read: The Sports Pages to review and for providing copies of each of the Guys Read books for the giveaway!**

The giveaway is now closed! The winner will be announced on Monday, July 16th!

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