From The Ashes (Jesse Thistle)

 

This is a story that many wouldn't read because there's so much that is difficult to read about - addiction, homelessness, crime. The only way to get an idea of why some people end up with the lives they do though is to read the details. It's sad and difficult but worth the time if you really want to get a perspective on this topic.

Most of this story is hard. Near the end, he finally makes it through rehab and ends up marrying someone who helps him keep his life together. It all seems to happen really fast in the book - but my guess is it wasn't really fast in real life. 

Goodreads says:

In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle—once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar—chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.

If I can just make it to the next minute . . . then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead.

From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up.

Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, but their tough-love attitudes meant conflicts became commonplace. And the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. One day, he finally realized he would die unless he turned his life around.

In this heartwarming and heartbreaking memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful experiences with abuse, uncovering the truth about his parents, and how he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family through education.

An eloquent exploration of what it means to live in a world surrounded by prejudice and racism and to be cast adrift, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help one find happiness despite the odds.

Fourth Grade Rats (Jerry Spinelli)

 

We read 3rd Grade Angels and decided to continue on to 4th Grade rats. I'm not so sure it was a good idea though. My students were a little disturbed by the bad behavior of kids in this story. That's probably a good thing. I even had a student who decided to try some of the rat strategies in this book: ignore things adults tell you to do (or not do), never apologize and break the rules whenever you can. I think I'll save myself from that headache in the future. Of course, I'm not sure there's another student that will ever be quite like the student who decided to act out just like the 4th grade rats.

I have enjoyed many Jerry Spinelli books. Not this one though.

Goodreads says:

A fast, fun, friendship read from the Newbery-award winning author of Maniac Magee.

Fourth graders are tough. They aren't afraid of spiders. They say no to their moms. They push first graders off the swings. And they never, ever cry.
Suds knows that now that he's in fourth grade, he's supposed to be a rat. But whenever he tries to act like one, something goes wrong. Can Suds's friend Joey teach him to toughen up...or will Suds remain a fourth grade wimp? 

The Kiss That Missed (David Melling)

 

Super cute and funny. It's a good lesson in slowing down and enjoying each other. A great message for our pandemic times!

Goodreads says:

One evening, when the King is in a hurry, his goodnight kiss to the Little Prince goes astray. After rattling around the Prince's bedroom, it flies out the window and floats into the dark forest, where it has no business to be. The King decides to do something about it. He orders the Knight to climb on his horse, ride into the forest, and bring back the kiss. But the forest is filled with spooky things that frighten both the Knight and his horse. How will they ever succeed in bringing the kiss back to the castle? This funny story features Daivd Melling's atmospheric and richly colored illustrations on every page. It makes a great bedtime story for kids who are about the same age as the Little Prince. (Ages 4-7)

Secret of the Peaceful Warrior (Dan Millman)

 

We just started a unit on friendship and this was a great connection to many of the topics that have come up lately: bullying, what goes around comes around, friendship between genders and more. 

The best part was that my class was totally captured by the story. It's really fun to read a book that really grabs their attention. This was a great one for that!

Goodreads says:

When Danny's family moves to a new neighborhood, he is confronted by a frightening bully. One night in a dream, Danny meets an old man with shining white hair--a man who will soon appear in real life and share a wonderful secret. An inspirational story about courage and love. Full-color illustrations.

Third Grade Angels (Spinelli)

 

This was our first read aloud of the year. I really have always enjoyed Jerry Spinelli books and this one did not disappoint. My class enjoyed the story and it set a great tone for our classroom.

Goodreads says:

The long-awaited prequel to the bestseller FOURTH GRADE RATS

George, aka "Suds," has just entered third grade, and he's heard the rhyme about "first grade babies/second grade cats/third grade angels/fourth grade rats," but what does this mean for his school year? It means that his teacher, Mrs. Simms, will hold a competition every month to see which student deserves to be awarded "the halo" - which student is best-behaved, kindest to others, and, in short, perfect. Suds is determined to be the first to earn the halo, but he's finding the challenge of always being good to be more stressful than he had anticipated. Does he have to be good even outside of school? (Does he have to be nice to his annoying little sister?) And if Mrs. Simms doesn't actually see him doing a good deed, does it even count?

A warm, funny retu

It's Monday, What Are You Reading

 Last week I did listen to The Gown again. I love that book. I think I'm going to give up on Multipliers. It's just not doing it for me. 

This week we will finish 3rd Grade Angels and move on to 4th Grade Rats as our class read aloud.

We have had some interesting conversations about pandemics, riots and Black Lives Matter in my classroom thanks for our friendship topic. I decided to do some book talks on some Dear Canada books that talk about things in our history. If I Die Before I Wake is about the flu pandemic of 1918. I'll be reading this during DEAR time in class.

I hope to also read an upcoming book club book....Circling the Sun at home in the evenings.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 I'm taking a break from terrible leadership to genius leadership by reading Multipliers.

Third Grade Angels is our read aloud for this week. We will likely finish it this week and move on to Fourth Grade Rats by the same author.

I've read The Gown before but I'm leading a discussion on it for book club this month so I'm thinking I better re-read it. This might be a little too much for this week, but we'll see. I feel like I need some escape time and reading is just the key for that.

Too Much And Never Enough (Mary Trump)

 

I don't know if those who are Trump fans would ever read this. It explains a lot though. An interesting perspective from a disfavored part of the Trump family. 

He needs psychological help. It's not totally his fault. It's generational. The USA will suffer because of him.

Goodreads says:

In this revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him, Mary L. Trump, a trained clinical psychologist and Donald’s only niece, shines a bright light on the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric.

Mary Trump spent much of her childhood in her grandparents’ large, imposing house in the heart of Queens, where Donald and his four siblings grew up. She describes a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse. She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office, including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons, Fred Jr. and Donald.

A first-hand witness to countless holiday meals and family interactions, Mary brings an incisive wit and unexpected humor to sometimes grim, often confounding family events. She recounts in unsparing detail everything from her uncle Donald’s place in the family spotlight and Ivana’s penchant for re-gifting to her grandmother’s frequent injuries and illnesses and the appalling way Donald, Fred Trump’s favorite son, dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer’s.

Numerous pundits, armchair psychologists, and journalists have sought to parse Donald J. Trump’s lethal flaws. Mary L. Trump has the education, insight, and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick. She alone can recount this fascinating, unnerving saga, not just because of her insider’s perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world’s most powerful and dysfunctional families.