Winston Chu Vs The Whimsies (Stacy Lee)

 

I love the concept of this book. Rick Riordan has people writing classics like Percy Jackson but they are folktales from other countries. I need to read more of these! 

I did this as a read-aloud. It's pretty long though and lots of detail that make it perhaps a little too long for grade 3. It took us almost 3 months to read it. Every now and then I'd read ahead and then figure out what parts I could skip to make it go a little faster. It is pegged as a middle-grade book, and I'd agree. Some of the humor was beyond my students. There is a little bit of boy/girl crush stuff too. Although, the soccer talk was a hit!

Goodreads says:

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling author Stacey Lee's modern reimagining of a classic Chinese folktale—replete with magic, boba, and lots of trash talking.

Twelve-year-old Winston Chu is supposed to learn impulse control at the cooking academy his mom enrolled him in. But learning to think before he acts won’t happen overnight.

While skateboarding home with a pie in hand, Winston inadvertently stops a robbery at Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, an oddities shop in Chinatown. As a reward, Mr. Pang invites Winston to choose any item in the store. But the strange old man warns Winston to browse carefully, for the first thing Winston touches will be the thing he gets. Before Winston can decide, a magpie flies under a shelf, and he impulsively grabs an old broom to sweep it out.

Mr. Pang hands him the broom, along with a dustpan. “Two for one. Congratulations.”

Deflated, Winston returns home, determined to put the broom incident behind him. Or at least in the closet. But when some of his most beloved possessions go missing, all Winston can think about are the broom and dustpan. Did they somehow take his stuff? And what—or who—will they dispose of next?

It’s time to break into Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, where clearly there’s more going on than meets the far-seeing eyeball. It’s time to fight magic with magic. And this time, Winston better have a plan.

The Barren Grounds (David A Robertson)

 

This book is bound for greatness! I see a multitude of classrooms doing novel studies. It is going to become a classic, I'm sure of it.

Topics for the classroom:

- foster care

- anger 

- environment

Fun reason to read it: I will never  forget how fun it was for my daughter to get the Harry Potter books as they came out. People would like up at the bookstore at midnight to get it on the first day and start reading immediately. This book is the first in a four part series. Book one and two are out and three and four are planned but not out yet. This is a chance to get in on the new books when they come out!

"Stories always lead people somewhere, "Arik said. "To a place, to a memory." (p. 232)

Setting Winnipeg in November

Characters:
Morgan - 13 Grade 8, in 8th foster home
Eli - always has a drawing pad, in grade 7
Kate - a teacher
James - a doctor
Emily Houldsworth p. 18 Calls Moran "Ghost"
Arik p. 124
Fischer p. 62
Mrs Edwards ELA teacher p. 21 Always overdressed
Elaborative detail:

p. 194 setting


Notice and Note Signposts

Again and Again
p. 40/41 wind bows when Eli draws (C&C?)
p. 44 adults apologizes for mistakes
p. 47Morgan hates  them trying so hard to  make her feel at home
p. 170 Morgan's dreams of mother (p. 170)

Ah Ha Moment?
p. 122 Eli feels more alive in the cold barren grounds
 Eli being taken by the wolf (p. 172) = Morgan being taken?
wolf = persecution by white men?

p. 181 nature of the wolf is to attack. White man's nature is....??

p. 191 Moran realizes she belongs on the land

Goodreads says:

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them. 

Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Chris Colfer)

This is a really fun read with all the additional insight on traditional stories. It would be a good book for kids ready for a book that is challenging yet an easy connection for them. Open up to any page and you could use much of this to teach elaborative detail. It would be fun to do this for an end of year book club pick.

Goodreads says:

Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

That Stinks (Alan Katz)

This would be a good book to go with an Amelia Bedilia read aloud. The books is full of puns.

The illustrations are amazing! Great expression on the faces of these kids. You could also use this book for writing about how someone is feeling by describing their expression and stance.

Goodreads says:

From humorist Alan Katz and illustrator Stephen Gilpin comes a very punny picture book about a series of show-and-tell misunderstandings.

When the teacher says it’s too rainy to go outside for recess and the kids must stay inside for show and tell, she gets an unexpected reaction: “That stinks!” exclaims Jimmy. The class gasps—but then it turns out Jimmy has brought a skunk for show and tell! “Aw, nuts!” says Susie. She’s brought pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Yum! Kids will love shouting these exclamations and more along with the characters in this brand-new picture book from comedy writer Alan Katz, brought vividly to life with cartoonish illustrations by Stephen Gilpin.

The Important Book (Margaret Wise Brown)

I like the idea of listening to why people think something is important. The reason it is important could change, depending on the circumstances too. I think more important than the reasons one person says something is important, is to find out why they think that is the important thing about that object. Could be a could addition to a lesson on elaborative detail and descriptive writing (although, the poems aren't very elaborative). Could focus on using the most important descriptors. Could also be used for teaching main ideas.

I've heard a few teachers rave about this book. I'll have to ask them why they love it. "The important thing about The Important Book is...." LOL

Goodreads says:

"Rekindles the sense of wonder we were born with. True poetry about perceiving the world around us."*

Margaret Wise Brown, the New York Times bestselling author of the perennial classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny, asks children to think deeply about the importance of everyday objects, from apples to spoons. With lyrical words and vivid illustrations by Caldecott winner Leonard Weisgard, The Important Book shows children just how important everyday objects can be.

What is the most important thing about a spoon? The fact that you can eat with it? What about an apple? Or a shoe? This book helps curious preschoolers notice important details about their everyday surroundings, like daisies are white, rain is wet, and a spoon is used for eating.

For the important thing about The Important Book is that the book resonates long after it's closed. What's most important about many familiar things—like rain and wind, apples and daisies—is suggested in rhythmic words and vivid pictures. "A perfect book. The text establishes a word game which tiny children will accept with glee," said Kirkus.

Chosen as a "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" by the American National Education Association.

An African Orchestra (Wendy Hartmann)

Beautiful images and beautiful sounds of Africa. The author is from South Africa.

This would be a nice story to read while learning to write elaborative detail for settings.

Goodreads says:

A magical journey that celebrates the African sounds of nature. In the beginning, when all things began, these were the sounds which were music to man. Cicadas, crickets, beetles and frogs Seedpods, cocoons, hollowed out logs Crackling fires, the patter of rain Thundering hooves on the African plain Birds in the air, in the treeson the land Wind in the grass through the leavesover sand. With magical illustrations from Joan Rankin, and poetry from masterful storyteller, Wendy Hartmann, The African Orchestra lyrically captures the magic of the African sounds of nature. From the clicking of crickets to the crackle of the fire, follow the journey that celebrates these sounds, in the rhythm and music of Africa.

You Are (Not) Small (Anna Kang)

Good book for discussing comparative language (big, bigger, biggest) as well as how to write  elaborative detail.

Goodreads summary:

Two fuzzy creatures can't agree on who is small and who is big, until a couple of surprise guests show up, settling it once and for all!

The simple text of Anna Kang and bold illustrations of New Yorker cartoonist Christopher Weyant tell an original and very funny story about size -- it all depends on who's standing next to you.

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur (Mordecai Richler)

I decided that during DEAR time I will always read a book from our library corner so that I can book-talk it with the kids in my class. This week it was Jacob Two-Two. Many years ago I went to a play at Olympic Plaza that was Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur. It was quite true to the book! I was a little bothered at the way Jacob is treated in the beginning of the book. He is teased by everyone in his family. It seems a little over the top. Maybe I'm just too sensitive. Mordecai Richler definitely has a similar feel to his books as Roald Dahl: adults are mean and quite unnecessary and kids have to make it on their own. There's also lots of great humor that kids in Gr 3 will really crack up over - like the dinosaur causing huge wind storms because of gas he gets after eating his favorite food: Pizza! There's some great elaborative detail in chapter 4 when Dippy is introduced! I will make a note of this for when I'm teaching elaborative detail. One of the really fun things about this book is that it is set in Canada. They go to Banff and mention other places near us. The back page also notes that the children in the story have the same names as Mordecai Richler's children. I think this would be a great book to read aloud. Goodreads summary: When his parents return from Kenya with a cute little green lizard on his eighth birthday (he’s two times two times two), Jacob Two-Two is thrilled. But it isn’t long before Jacob realizes that his new pet Dippy isn’t a lizard after all. And as months pass, it is apparent Dippy isn’t so little either. Soon Dippy is attracting all sorts of unwanted attention and before he knows it, Jacob is on the run from the Canadian government with a full-grown dinosaur to hide.

If I Built a Car (Chris Van Dusen)

My students loved this book. There was a lot of shouts of: 

• Cool! 
• As if! 
• I would totally do that!
• That's a great idea!

The illustrations are great. We are doing 'elaborative detail' in writing right now and this book is a great example of ways to describe an object. I'll use it again!

Goodreads Summary:

Young Jack is giving an eye-opening tour of the car he'd like to build. There's a snack bar, a pool, and even a robot named Robert to act as chauffeur. With Jack's soaring imagination in the driver's seat, we're deep-sea diving one minute and flying high above traffic the next in this whimsical, tantalizing take on the car of the future. Illustrations packed with witty detail, bright colors, and chrome recall the fabulous fifties and an era of classic American automobiles. Infectious rhythm and clever invention make this wonderful read-aloud a launch pad for imaginative fun.