Wonder Light

Title: Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist 
Author: R.R. Russell 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 
Publication Date: May, 2013 
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.

Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for "troubled" girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible — someone who needs her.

Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.

A baby unicorn. Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island's mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig's to care for. That she needs Twig's love and protection. Because there's something out there in the deep, dense shadows that's hunting for them... 
What I Think: I haven't read very many unicorn books in my life...it's been a while actually unless you cound Zombies Vs. Unicorns but that's a collection of short stories and for an older audience. What struck me the most about the stories in Zombies Vs. Unicorns and what is also evident in Wonder Light is that most of the authors take unicorns, these wonderfully magical beings but make them more hardcore. The unicorns in Wonder Light are definitely fierce and determined. The main character, Twig, finds herself off on an adventure with this mysterious boy, Ben, and her baby unicorn. I got sucked into the story, anxious to find out where the mystery and adventure would lead Twig and her unicorn. I think kids who like adventure and possibly horses would enjoy reading this book. You might warn them that if they read this book, they're going to be wishing the second book was already available.
Read Together: Grades 4 - 6 
Read Alone: Grades 4 - 6  
Read With: The Humming Room by Ellen Potter
Snatch of Text: "Twig didn't want to keep talking. she wanted to run out of that stable. But the solid wood of the stall door seemed to be enough to hold the animal back. The other girls whispered to each other behind her while she kept whispering nonsense. As she calmed the horse, Twig felt herself calming too. The other girls were transfixed, but not scared. If she could settle this thing like an ordinary horse, then maybe it was just an ordinary horse, not a ghost at all. Thought the word ordinary hardly fit such an animal." 
Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Inferences 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative 
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you were in a situation you didn't want to be in where you felt alone.
Topics Covered: Family, Friends, Adventure, Risk-Taking, Courage, Determination, Trust 

I *heart* It:

When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and The Nonfiction Detectives. 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: When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky 
Author: Lauren Stringer  
Illustrator: Lauren Stringer 
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books 
Publication Date: March, 2013 
Genre/Format: Non-Fiction/Picture Book  
GoodReads Summary: The Russian artists Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky were popular in their time: Stravinsky for music, Nijinsky for dance. When their radically new ballet, The Rite of Spring, was first performed in Paris on May 29, 1913, the reaction was so polarized, there were fistfights and riots! Brilliant or disastrous, the performance marked the birth of modern music and dance. Stringer’s rhythmic text and gloriously inventive, color-rich paintings capture the wild and imaginative collaboration of composer and choreographer. The fascinating author note includes photos of the dynamic duo and The Rite of Spring dancers. 
What I Think: Music and movement are so important and play a part in cultures around the world. It's so interesting to think about how music and dance has evolved over time. Lauren Stringer brings two historical figures to life and shows how they influenced each other to impact both music and dance. There seem to be so many stories about one person doing something differently and paving the way (which are important to share) but I love that this story focuses on two men who inspired each other and together made an impact on music and dance. When I think about teaching, I think about how collaborative we need to ask our students to be and how we need to support that collaboration. In the last year, looking closely at personalities has made me so much more conscious of how people collaborate differently and how we need to communicate in order to be able to collaborate. This book seems like it would be a great way to show and celebrate collaboration and then have a discussion about how we might collaborate with others in and out of our classrooms. 
     I'm not very familiar with dance and different types of dance, but the artwork in this book really brings dance to life. I wanted to get up and wiggle and move with the dancers in the book because of how much energy the drawings exude. This would be a great interactive text for kids to practice acting and dancing like the dancers in the book.  
Read Together: Grades 1 - 6  
Read Alone: Grades 1 - 6 
Read With: Tito Puente, Mambo King and Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown, Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow by Gary Golio, Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Snatch of Text:  

"Stravinsky inspired Nijinsky,

Nijinsky inspired Stravinsky.

Together they decided to dream of something different and new."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Visualizing 
Writing Strategies to Practice: Personal Narrative, Alliteration, Simile, Metaphor, Comma (series), Repetition, $100 Words, Word Choice, Descriptive  
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you did something new for the first time. Write about a time in your life when working with a friend or partner helped you come up with or improve upon your ideas. 
Topics Covered: Music, Dance, Integration - Fine Arts, Inspiration, Teamwork, Adversity 

I *heart* It:

 

The One Where Writing Is Awesome #slice2013

Every Tuesday, Ruth and Stacey, host Slice of Life at their blog, Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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Last week was absolutely amazing for my writing life! On Sunday, I loaded up my car and headed off to Indiana to meet up with other Choice Literacy contributors to write and talk about writing. I'm so thankful to Brenda Power, founder of Choice Literacy, for inviting me to be part of this retreat. As soon as I got there, we were sent off to write and bring back something to share with a small group. We shared and talked about our writing and then had free time to get settled. My roommate was Katherine Sokolowski from Read, Write, Reflect. Sunday night, Katherine and I walked down to the lake, dipping our toes in the warm water. It was so peaceful and a perfect beginning to our time there.

This picture is a little dark, but Katherine and I were so excited to be here! I'm glad we were able to be roommates. We talked about blogging, writing for Choice Literacy and working on writing books. The whole time we were there, I was flooded with inspiration from the writers around me and the time to really think about my own writing. It helps to surround yourself with other writers and to be able to talk about writing, support and inspire each other. It was awesome to fall asleep after talking with Katherine about writing and then to wake up and start talking about writing all over again!

As scary as some people find sharing to be, I actually find that sharing is what I love most about writing. I love being able to express myself through writing. Writing something that makes someone else think or laugh or ache or want to write, too, is the most exciting part about writing. Without being able to share my writing, I don't think I would feel as motivated to write. Just knowing that someone somewhere might read what I have written and enjoy it...or hate it enough to be moved by it, is a great feeling. If we look at writing as a way of communicating, then sharing our writing is an integral piece. I believe in giving students experiences where they can share their writing, no matter where they are in the process, I think it's great to give students an authentic experience with sharing their writing. I know it helps me. 

Here is the group of wonderful writers I got to share this experience with! From left to right: Deb Gaby, Katherine Sokolowski, Katie Dicesare, Shari Frost, Max Brand, Ruth Ayres, Franki Sibberson, Brenda Power, Bill Bass (and me!). 

I got lots of writing done for Choice Literacy but also worked on revising my WIP. It was awesome. Here I am hard at work, I found all sorts of writing places but when it was time to spread out, I ended up in our room on my bed.

Look at how happy I was! It was just so energizing and fulfilling to have the focused time to write!

One of the things we revisited throughout our time together was the idea of developing writing habits. Brenda put out rows and rows of cards with writing affirmations on them and asked us to walk around and choose 2-3 that really resonated with us. I'm at a place in my writing where I just need to push myself to make the time to write but also that I need to celebrate when I do get writing done. I chose these two cards:

Every time I sat down to write, I took off my watch (and anything else on my wrists) and read the first card, focusing on the phrase, "Bring it on blank page!" And then when I was done with writing, I did a word count and recorded it on my computer and then read the second card, changing it in my head to, "Today I proved it on the page!" and celebrating that I wrote and just how good it felt. 

This habit has a beginning and an end (with writing in the middle) and it is portable, I can take it anywhere with me at any time, and it really helped me focus on that great feeling of having written something. While I'm sure we all feel relief or satisfaction to know we have written something, I know I didn't always make a conscious effort to really relish in the happiness. Now, I do! And I love it. It reminds me of when I was training for the Chicago Marathon...ten years ago...and I developed a similar routine with a mantra to tell myself again and again and then I always did a celebratory double-fist pump when I finished my run. They say that so much of running a marathon is mental and I think it applies to writing, too. We can't get in our own way, we have to celebrate and motivate ourselves. It's all in the decisions we make. 

Developing writing habits and finding friends to talk to about writing, people who will really critique and support you, is so important. I've never felt so good about my writing. I love writing, I love the writing process, I love sharing my writing but being at the Choice Literacy writing retreat helped me really see myself as the writer that I am. I've been reading The Productive Writer, which Brenda gave us at the retreat, and am so excited to share some of the ideas about writing. So far I feel like I'm owning my writing in a different way and feel empowered as a writer. And that's pretty awesome. 

What experiences have shaped who you are as a writer? How has talking with others about writing influenced you? And what makes writing awesome for you?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/5/13

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...you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and I decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them. 

Announcement:

Please take note that the IMWAYR button has been updated to include Unleashing Readers.

In case you missed the announcement, 

Kellee is now blogging at Unleashing Readers with Rick Ginsberg. 

We will be cohosting IMWAYR from now on.

They launched their blog in June and it's going to be a fabulous resource! 

Be sure to grab the updated button! 

Last Week's Book Adventures:

Jen Says: Last week was completely bliss for me. It was amazing to be at the writing retreat with Choice Literacy and other writing friends. I listened to The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han and started listening to The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando. I also read Wonder Light by R.R. Russell and Who Owns the Learning by Alan November. I also started The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen and am enjoying it.

Reviewed Last Week:

Just click on any picture above to go read the review

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

Jen Says: This week I'll continue to listen to The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life and will hopefully listen to Ungifted by Gordon Korman when I'm done - I had a problem with the CD when I tried putting it in this week so I need to have it checked out. I'm going to read The Real Boy by Anne Ursu because I have heard wonderful things. I'll be reading Falling Hard edited by Betsy Franco for Poetry Friday and also for some writing inspiration. I'll also keeping reading The Productive Writer, I'm loving all the ideas and inspiration for writing. 

This Week's Reviews:

Check back throughout the week to hear about these books. 

So, what are you reading this week? 

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

To help build our community and support other bloggers, 

we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you. 

Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!

Teachers Write Sunday Check-In Week 6

When ALA was in Chicago this summer, I had the opportunity to meet Laura Golden, author of Every Day After. Seeing as Laura is a debut author, I had lots of questions and ideas to share with Laura about writing. It was fun to share my experiences with writing through Teachers Write. 

It just so happened that Laura’s husband was with her at ALA and I talked to him about what it’s like to be married to a writer. Just the week before, I had talked to my husband about a scene in my work-in-progress and I shared it with Laura’s husband. My poor husband...and then Laura’s poor husband had to answer my ridiculous question. My question was this:

When someone’s learning to kiss, what do they practice on? 

How might they practice?

Isn’t that a great question? While I have an idea of what most kids might do, I was curious what someone else would say. (I would love to hear your answers, by the way!) This type of anecdotal research can be so helpful and Laura and I are so grateful to have our husbands to refer to when we want to share writing ideas. When I'm brainstorming how stories will go together or how to get through a revision, I usually run my ideas by my husband. Sometimes he thinks I'm a little goofy, but he always does his best to listen and try to help me work it out.

The hubster and me - my #1 supporter!

In general, talking through problems, with a husband or a friend, can be super helpful. For me, I usually work my way out of my problem when I talk about it but it helps to have someone ask questions or offer some ideas. Last summer, I found a Maquizga (a mini-critique-writing-support-group partner) in Brian Wyzlic. I know that I can go to him for anything about writing - whether I’m stuck or excited to share, I know he’ll be there to support me, too. Thanks to the awesome-ness of Teachers Write, I found Brian and a wonderful community to connect with. It’s a great support network!

Me and Brian - Maquizgas Unite!

Today, I invited Laura to Teach Mentor Texts to talk to me about how helpful it is to have her husband or others to talk to about ideas. This week, the tip is to talk it out. When you are brainstorming, plotting, drafting, revising...just talk it out. Both Laura and I find that it helps so much.

JEN: Hi Laura! Thanks for joining me today! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing?

LAURA: Hi, Jen! Sure! I began writing with an eye toward publication about 8 years ago. I started with picture books, but they proved too tough for me. I’m not kidding. Writers of picture books have my utmost respect. They possess mad talents. My husband convinced me to give middle grade a chance, and four years ago I began working on what became EVERY DAY AFTER. I enjoyed the process, and I’m now working on my second novel. It’s much harder this time around. I’m constantly worrying over perceived successes and failures of my first book, and it’s a huge challenge to shut out the noise and focus on writing. But...I’m learning.  

JEN: Give a big hello to your husband, Michael, for me! Can you talk about how he helps you brainstorm or talk through ideas?

LAURA: (Michael says ‘hi’, Jen!) I didn’t discuss ideas or drafts of EVERY DAY AFTER with him as much as I should have. I was super-scared of failure, so I kept my progress on that one relatively private. I didn’t want to look or sound stupid. But now that I’m working on a second book, all that self-censorship has gone completely out the window. I ask him his thoughts on everything from plot points to names. I hope he’s not sick of me yet, because I have quite a ways to go!  

JEN: Hi, Michael! *waves* Do you find yourself needing to talk through different parts of the writing process more than others? For example, with my own writing, it really helps for me to talk through the whole book so I can see how it comes together. It really helps me during brainstorming. I find that it helps to talk about ideas whenever I get stuck, too. If I get to a part that I’m writing and I just can’t seem to figure it out, it really helps to share that and work through it with someone else.

LAURA: Yes. I’m a pre-plotter, not a pantser. I want to know everything is going to fit--that I’ve found the right pieces to put the puzzle together. I talk to Michael (and my mom) most during this phase of the writing process. I want to know if something is believable or too outlandish/coincidental. If it’s the latter, I’d rather address it before I’m 30,000 words into the story.

I also talk out character motivations and arcs. I’m a total character arc nerd. I want to see change of some sort in the main character at the very least, in several characters at best--not merely that they do or don’t get what they want in the end, but that that desire caused some meaningful change inside them. During my discussions with Michael, I’ll try to make sure that the “goal” leads to “change”. I don’t want to write a story where the MC’s personality remains static the entire time.

JEN: I'm not sure if I'm a plotter or a pantser yet! I kind of do both, going back and forth throughout the process. Do you ever find that by talking to someone else about your writing helps you figure it out on your own? Sometimes, I think I have a problem but by just having someone listen to me, I can work through it on my own!

LAURA: Talking things out definitely helps to get me unstuck. I think perhaps that casual conversation and brainstorming helps to relax my mind. When I’m staring at my notebook or computer screen wracking my brain over a story problem, it typically ends in a block. My brain just shuts down. But when I’m talking things out, my mind opens up to new possibilities and solutions. It’s like magic. For what it’s worth, sleep and riding shotgun in the car also help relax my mind. And it’s nice to know that if I do these things--talk it out, take a ride in the car, or sleep on it--and a solution still doesn’t arrive, chances are Michael will have a suggestion I hadn’t thought of. A nice bonus.  

And, if you don’t mind my asking, I totally have to know: did you arrive at an answer to your kissing question? Michael and I voted “a pillow” and “arm”. Final verdict? ;-)

JEN: Right now, the practicing kissing scene is how my manuscript currently starts off and I went with my husband’s suggestion of...fruit! My main character’s best friend actually suggests she practice on her but she ends up going with the fruit, a plum, as a matter of fact. But there’s a chance I can work in some more practice and maybe I can work in her arm or her pillow.

LAURA: Ha! A plum! Love it. Excellent choice. Thank you for sharing. :-) And many more thanks for having me on your blog. I’m a big fan, and it was such fun talking writerly processes with you--both here and at ALA. Hope we meet again soon!

Laura and me at the Newbery banquet in June!

JEN: Thank you so much for sharing some of your process with us! I so appreciate it and love the idea of going for a ride or sleeping on an idea. I can see how both of them would help me clear my head or help me work through ideas.

My Teachers Write Weekly Recap:

I'm so happy to be able to look back at this week and know that I really got a lot of great writing done. It was such a wonderful week. I'll share more about my experience at the Choice Literacy writing retreat during my Slice of Life on Tuesday, but what I can share today is that I wrote over 3,000 words between articles for Choice Literacy and my Slice of Life from last week and then I also revised the first chapter of my novel. Delving back into my novel and piecing together a first chapter that I'm proud of feels phenomenal. I think the beginning is much stronger now. I shared part of it on Friday Feedback with Gae and with Brian and another friend. 

At the Choice Literacy writing retreat, I was able to talk so much about writing and the writing process. It's really amazing to talk with others who are writing and share the ups and down of writing. It was like Teachers Write come live and in person. It made me think about how phenomenal it would be to have a Teachers Write retreat someday...how awesome would that be?

I also worked on developing writing habits which I'll share Tuesday. Can't wait!

A reminder of my rules for Teachers Write Sunday Check-Ins:

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

2. We only offer constructive criticism.

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:
Do you have someone you turn to for writing support?
What do you look for in someone to talk to about your writing?

How did you do this week? Did you meet your weekly goal(s)?
What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the non-fun part?)
What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-fun part?)
What are you looking forward to and planning for the week ahead?