IMWAYR

I haven't been doing a lot of reading because I'm working hard to get caught up on marking and to get ready for Learning Conferences. If somehow the clock fairies find some extra time for me, this is what I want to read this week:


Actually, I gave up on reading this one. I'm going to listen to the book. I'm irritated that my book club picked it when it isn't even a true story. Not going to invest that much time in it.



I love this one. Serious 9 year old hilarity.



Still working on The Ripple Effect. I read it before I go to sleep. Unfortunately, lately, that takes about 4 minutes.

The Witness Wore Red (Rebecca Musser)

This book totally has me rubber-necking. I am horrified by it - but I couldn't stop reading it. 

What those men do in that cult is the same as sex trafficking. What a sad disaster. I'm amazed that they can talk women into this lifestyle.

Goodreads says:

Rebecca Musser grew up in fear, concealing her family's polygamous lifestyle from the "dangerous" outside world. Covered head-to-toe in strict, modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' school headed by Warren Jeffs. Always seeking to be an obedient Priesthood girl, in her teens she became the nineteenth wife of her people's prophet: 85-year-old Rulon Jeffs, Warren's father. Finally sickened by the abuse she suffered and saw around her, she pulled off a daring escape and sought to build a new life and family.



The church, however, had a way of pulling her back in-and by 2007, Rebecca had no choice but to take the witness stand against the new prophet of the FLDS in order to protect her little sisters and other young girls from being forced to marry at shockingly young ages. The following year, Rebecca and the rest of the world watched as a team of Texas Rangers raided the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a stronghold of the FLDS. Rebecca's subsequent testimony would reveal the horrific secrets taking place behind closed doors of the temple, sending their leaders to prison for years, and Warren Jeffs for life.



THE WITNESS WORE RED is a gripping account of one woman's struggle to escape the perverse embrace of religious fanaticism and sexual slavery, and a courageous story of hope and transformation. 

Willow's Smile (Lana Button)

Willow has a hard time smiling. We discussed some of the reasons some people might not wear a smile....they might be blue, they might have someone they're sad about, they might have been hurt physically or emotionally, or they might be shy. The book never really says why but it does seem to teach a lesson: when you're feeling down, if you do something for someone else, it might lift the other person up as well as yourself.

Goodreads says:

“Sometimes Willow smiled without even trying. But sometimes when she wished she could and knew she should, her smile slipped straight off her face.” So when her teacher tells the class that Picture Day is coming, shy Willow starts to worry. What if she isn't able to smile for the camera? How can she have her picture taken without smiling? But then on Picture Day, Willow gets the opportunity to watch the other children being photographed. She sees that all of her friends' expressions are unique, and perfect in their own way. And by the time it's her turn, she's realized that she doesn't need to worry about smiling for her picture. She just needs to be herself. 

In this sweet picture book, author Lana Button has created a relatable and reassuring story that offers children a terrific model for how to deal with a difficult experience in a socially and emotionally competent way. The simple illustrations by Tania Howells beautifully capture the story's focus through the range of emotions so clearly expressed by Willow and her classmates. This book provides opportunities for character lessons on self-respect, empathy and resilience. It would work for a classroom introduction to the annual ritual of Picture Day as well, a subject not often covered yet very significant to young children. It could also lead to a conversation about why we take pictures and what makes a great picture, and to activities such as making a class photo album.

IMWAYR

It's Monday! Here's what I'm reading this week:

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is my husband's favorite book. Everytime I'm mulling over what the next book choices should be he tells me why we should read this book. This month we are!



I didn't quite finish my book club book last month, so I really need to get that read this week:


Next month's book is Three Cups of Tea. I'm really tossed about this one. Do the people in my book club know the story is not true? I read this before. I'm not sure I want to read it again - so I'm going with the audio book to make it easy:


I gave up on this one. We started out on the wrong foot with his subtitle: Give yourself the gift of done. My mom always said done was not proper. You were supposed to say 'finished'. Done is for cooking. Not sure if that's true - but I can't get past it after hearing this mantra so much growing up. I should have probably given it more time, but I didn't like the first couple chapters about cutting your goals in half:

Crickwing (Janell Cannon)

I love these books by Janell Cannon! Verdi and Stellaluna are both beautiful books.

The vocabulary in the books is quite challenging - but it works.

Goodreads says:



Artistic flair and the spirit of cooperation save the day!
Crickwing never set out to be a bully. All he wants is to create his art in peace. But it's not easy being different--a cockroach with a cricked wing and a flair for sculpture is a ready target for the bigger creatures in the forest. Crickwing just wants to even the score, and leafcutter ants are so easy to pick on. ...
Big mistake. INobody/I angers the leafcutter queen and gets away with it.
In this epic adventure beneath the foliage, Crickwing and the leafcutter ants go head-to-head. Then a swarm of ferocious army ants threatens, and suddenly everyone is in danger. Crickwing has to do something, but what? He's an artist, not a fighter. What the leafcutters need is a hero. Or, maybe, a cockroach with a really clever idea...
About the Author: Janell Cannon's picture books have won many awards and are beloved around the world. Before she became a full-time creator of books for children, she designed and produced summer reading programs at her local public library. Born and raised in Minnesota, Ms. Cannon now lives in Southern California. 

Princess Smartypants Breaks the Rules

She's at it again. And I love it! In this book she recruits more princesses to see things her way. Fun story.


Goodreads says:

When the Queen packs off Princess Smartypants to finishing school, it seems that our favourite royal might become a perfect princess after all . . . huh, no chance! Instead, Princess Smartypants makes her own school rules and teaches those other do-goody princesses just exactly how to have fun.

Mrs. Smartypants Rules (Babette Cole)

My conservative  upbringing makes me cringe a little at Princess Smartypants - and party of me delights in reading it. Not everyone wants to get married. Nor does Princess Smartypants. In this book she wants a baby, but her parents say she can't because she doesn't have a prince. She ends up getting a baby by mistake when a recipe goes awry. Then she finds out it's not that fun and finds two dragon eggs to hatch and become her full time babysitters.

After reading a couple Princess Smartypants books I had to find out about Babette Cole. I think I like her!

Why did she write stories like this?

 .... partly because she liked to shock and partly because she felt she had a duty to make sure children were properly informed. (from an obituary in The Guardian)

And you know, that isn't always a bad thing!

Goodreads says:

Princess Smartypants has always preferred her royal pets to a pesky prince, but when she decides it would be lovely to have a baby, nothing can stand in her way!
Sure enough, a twist of fate brings her just what she has been hoping for, but she soon realizes babies can be an awful lot of trouble. Perhaps Princess Smartypants wasn't cut out for motherhood after all-but fortunately she knows just who is. . . .
Publishers Weekly wrote of the first Princess Smartypants, "Truly comical watercolors in softly glowing colors complement this fairy tale parody perfectly . . . an appealing book for budding feminists."
This is a hilarious royal romp, packed with action and drama, from master storyteller Babette Cole. 

Train to Somewhere (Eve Bunting)

Oh my gosh. This is so heartbreaking! We read this, hoping all along the way that Marianne would meet her at one of the stops.

She never did.

And it ends like that.

My class sat and stared at me. Then someone said, "That's it?"

Interesting to read a story that doesn't end happily! We thought maybe we could write an ending so that it actually feels like it ends.

I don't think it's a bad thing for kids to read books like this though. It certainly brought out some emotions. It started a great discussion about adoption and orphans and appreciating our parents. And it sounds like we will have a good writing project! We also had a good discussion about historical fiction.

Goodreads says:

Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on an Orphan Train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. When her mother left Marianne at the orphanage, hadn't she promised she'd come for her after making a new life in the West? Stop after stop goes by, and there's no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy, plain Marianne, either. But that's all right: She has to be free for her mother to claim her. Then the train pulls into its final stop, a town called Somewhere . . . 

Number the Stars (Lois Lowry)

This book has reminded me how glad I am that I blog. I came across some posts from when I had previously read this book. I have actually read this book a few times. I read it first in 2008. I had forgotten that Jill wrote to Lois Lowry and even got a reply! What a great lady Lois Lowry is.

This time around I've read it a couple times. I read it through once just simply reading. Then I read it again to make questions for each chapter for my students. I still need to do it one more time to get a good list of vocabulary words. The re-reading has caused me to have an even greater appreciation for this great book.

We are discussing the book in book club next week. I will add more to this post then!

Re-read January 10, 2017
This book is a great read for reminding yourself of the greatness of people in difficult times.

My Think-A-Ma-Jink

Great story for those hard to please kids that are all too often bored. Imagination!

Goodreads says:

It’s Jack’s sixth birthday, and he’s bored. Bored! Model airplanes, stuffed dinosaurs, not even a talking robot can free him of his festering funk. Then, a mysterious box arrives. Within is a think-a-ma-jink, a bizarre contraption that bends the very laws of time and space, with which no idea is too fantastic to be realized. A wild new universe of possibilities beckons. Cotton-candy-breathing dragons! Caramel rivers! Space-traveling hot-air balloons! But as he and his sister Marie engage in a boisterous, shape-shifting struggle, the future of the think-a-ma-jink hangs in the balance. Is Jack doomed to boredom . . . or is he on the verge of an amazing discovery?

IMWAYR

I got Number the Stars on audio book. Well worth re-reading!


Need to finish Shiloh for Grade 3 book club this month.




The Better Than Before group I'm on on Facebook is giving Finish by John Acuff. I thought I'd give it a try.




My book club is reading Once We Were Brothers this month. The meeting is next week so I'd better get at it!

Just So Stories (Rudyard Kipling)

So this is where all those tales came from that I have heard. I remember hearing many of these stories, but they were lost to me. So glad to have found them again. The words are beautiful - poetic and magical. I found myself wanting to write down phrases and lines from the book. I loved that it is a man and his daughter in many of the stories.

I especially liked one person's review on Goodreads:

...my personal favorite was about Elephant's Child. Sometimes 'satiable curiosity doesn't kill you; it gets you a very practical appendage with which you can spank your bossy Relatives and hove them into a wasp's nest. And let's face it, O Best Beloved, we've all had that impulse.

Goodreads says:

Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects include How the Camel Got His Hump. The Butterfly That Stamped, and How the Alphabet Was Made..

Stone Fox (John Reynolds Gardiner)

A few ELL students I have known have read this book as a novel study. I can see why. It's pretty short so it's a quick read but the story is great. It would make a great read-aloud. The story is similar to Iron Will. Willy saves Grandpa's farm, and Searchlight gives his life. Heartbreaking story!

Goodreads says:

John Reynolds Gardiner's classic action-packed adventure story about a thrilling dogsled race has captivated readers for more than thirty years.

Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the story of Little Willy, who lives with his grandfather in Wyoming. When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.

Exciting and heartwarming, this novel has sold millions of copies and was named a New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Frank Baum)

I recently saw a stage production of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I had wanted to read the book ahead of time so that I could see the differences between the original story and the stage production. Although I didn't find the book in time, I'm still glad I read it.

A lot of the book is pretty much the same as the stage production, until you get to the end. The end of the book goes on much longer after Lion and Tinman and Scarecrow receive what they're seeking. The wizard gives them a much bigger run around in the book and there seems to be a lot more violence, which is often the irony in fairy tales written for children - except for that lady who wanted to take Toto. I don't remember her in the book at all. The other thing is in the book it wasn't a dream, like the movie or the play...thank goodness! I think that is a pansy way of making sense of a story. I liked that about the book! Also, Dorothy wears silver shoes in the book, not red. There seem to be a lot more witches in the book. I couldn't keep them straight. Every point on the compass has a witch, it seems. I also couldn't keep track of all the places in Oz in the book. Mifkets? Merryland? The Land of Ev? They were also things I couldn't really keep in my head.

I'm glad I read the book.

Good reads says:

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.‘“Come along, Toto,” she said. “We will go to the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz how to get back to Kansas again.”’Swept away from her home in Kansas by a tornado, Dorothy and her dog Toto find themselves stranded in the fantastical Land of Oz. As instructed by the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins, Dorothy sets off on the yellow brick road to try and find her way to the Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz, who can help her get home.With her companions the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy experiences an adventure full of friendship, magic and danger. A much-loved children’s classic, The Wizard of Oz continues to delight readers young and old with its enchanting tale of witches, flying monkeys and silver shoes.

Eggs (Jerry Spinelli)

The first Jerry Spinelli book I read was StarGirl. I've been a fan ever since. Well, truthfully, I wasn't a fan of Loser. And....actually, that's all I've read until Eggs. But I loved StarGirl so much as well as Eggs, that I will say I'm a big fan.

If you've ever lost someone you felt like you just couldn't live without, or if you've ever felt like you just didn't fit in your family, or if you've said, "If I just do X then Y will happen", or if you've ever had a quirky friendship, or if you've ever loved someone who you just have to watch them work through issues, or if you've ever felt like you just didn't get what you needed from your family, then you'll get this book. The theme that is big in Roald Dahl books of missing adults exists here, but it is handled way differently.

“Of course, all of their words for a thousand years could not fill the hole left by his mother, but they could raise a loving fence around it so he didn't keep falling in.”

David and Primrose meet during an Easter Egg hunt. I thought that was an odd reason to call the book Eggs because nothing much happened with eggs after that. Maybe they were actually eggs - sensitive yet also very tough?

There were a lot of things all through the story that I questioned, and then soon found the answers to. Like, why does David think it's so important to keep all the rules? Where did Primrose's father go? What is with the waving man? Is there any symbolism to the little turtle David carries around?


Here are some answers I have:
1. His mother died after falling on a slippery spot where no one had warned anyone. He figures if they had kept the rules he wouldn't have lost his mother and if he just keeps all the rules now maybe he'll get her back.
2. The picture Primrose carries actually isn't her father. It's Clark Gable. We find out later that she knows it isn't her father - but for some reason she continues to carry the picture and tell people he is her father. Does she think wishing it was so will make it be?
3. The waving man? I don't know. The only thing I can guess is that he waves at people because they wave back at him (is that why Primrose carries the picture of the man who isn't her father?)
5. The turtle...stick your head out?? I don't know.


Goodreads says:

Nine-year-old David has recently lost his mother to a freak accident, his salesman father is constantly on the road, and he is letting his anger out on his grandmother. Sarcastic and bossy 13-year-old Primrose lives with her childlike, fortuneteller mother, and a framed picture is the only evidence of the father she never knew. Despite their differences, David and Primrose forge a tight yet tumultuous friendship, eventually helping each other deal with what is missing in their lives. This powerful, quirky novel about two very complicated, damaged children has much to say about friendship, loss, and recovery.