Science Comics: The Brain - The Ultimate Thinking Machine (Tory Woollcott and Alex Graudins)

This is amazing! They don't dumb things down at all and everything is taught so well. The graphics are amazing. A great book!

It starts off with the history of brain studies....right back to the Egyptians who would keep all sorts of body parts, but throw the brain away. They thought the brain was just for cooling the blood!

Goodreads says: nothing!! There is no summary on Goodreads. Weird!

This is the summary on the back of the book:

Make Connections with the brain!

Fahama has been kidnapped by a mad scientist and his zombie assistant, and they are intent on stealing her brain! She'll need to learn about the brain as fast as possible in order to plan her escape.

Think fast! The Brain: The ultimate thinking machine

How did the brain evolve? How do you senses work in relation to the brain? How do we remember things? What makes you, YOU? And why do neurons need an unlimited texting plan? (Because they send a lot of messages!) Get an inside look at the human brain, the most advanced operating system in the world....if you have the nerve!

Squidtoons: Exploring Ocean Science with Comics (Garfield Kwan and Dana Song)

Non-fiction graphic novels are a win! Lots of funny stuff and plenty of facts to satisfy kids. This one is a winner!

Goodreads says:

Dive deep into the latest, most interesting (and weirdest!) science about underwater creatures with Squidtoons!

These educational comics combine fun science facts about marine life and a strong environmental message. From whale vomit to bone-eating worms, narwhals to sea dragons, Squidtoons presents real ocean science in a series of easy-to-understand comics. Venture from the seashore to the deep sea, and learn about the ocean’s diverse life forms straight from the experts.

New Kid (Jerry Craft)

First graphic novel of the summer! I definitely need to work on my graphic novel reading skills. I tend to read just the words rather than absorb the pictures and fly through these kinds of books. It took me about an hour to read this book. I definitely could have spent more time looking at the illustrations as much of the story is in its "non-verbal communication". 

This is a good quality story. Being the new kid is not easy. Jordan Banks is the new kid AND he's a minority in his fancy new school. The story is really well-told and addresses many important issues. Jordan isn't the only one struggling with figuring himself out and with fitting in. It starts on the very first day of school and ends on the last day. An overarching theme could be how important it is to get to know people rather than make assumptions about them.

Jordan Banks is in 7th grade, so this book might be for kids a little older than my students - but I think they would read it and enjoy it and get a lot out of it.

Goodreads says:

A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

White Bird (RJ Palacio)

Sometimes, when looking at all the follow up books after Wonder, I snubbed them. Too much of a good thing? This one is definitely worth the time. I loved the story. It's a great twist that Julian was named after someone so brave and kind. I hope he lives up to his name!


Goodreads says:

In Auggie & Me, which expands on characters in Wonder, readers were introduced to Julian's grandmother, Grandmère. Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with Grandmère's story as a young Jewish girl hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Her experience demonstrates the power of kindness to change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives.

Bad Guys (Aaron Blabey)

When I read books like this I'm reminded why kids love graphic novels. This one is hilarious and clever.

I bought it because one student in my class gave me Two Dogs in a Trenchcoat to read. Since it was so great, I figured I should give him a recommendation to read. Looking forward to hearing his thoughts when summer is over! It reminded me of a great pop up book we got in our classroom this year called Inside the Villains. They are a misunderstood lot!

Goodreads says:

They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the Bad Guys . . . and they even smell like the Bad Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that! Mr Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys first good mission. The gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr Snake please spit out Mr Piranha?

Dogman: Lord of the Fleas (Dav Pilkey)

This is a seriously fun book. I read it in one night before I went to bed. It's one of those books that seems silly, but if you get rid of any snobbishness and just enjoy it, soon you'll be chuckling too.  It was my first Dog Man book, so I was a little uneducated on the characters. It made me think I should go back and read the books that came before.

There are a lot of knock knock jokes - which seem simple and perhaps an extra - but soon you start to realize they're part of the plot. Great story about a guy with bad character who actually does want to change.

And this is my favorite part:

Goodreads says:

When a new bunch of baddies bust up the town, Dog Man is called into action -- and this time he isn't alone. With a cute kitten and a remarkable robot by his side, our heroes must save the day by joining forces with an unlikely ally: Petey, the World's Most Evil Cat. But can the villainous Petey avoid vengeance and venture into virtue?

Science Comics: Dinosaurs (MK Reed)

This is a definitely classroom-keeper! I loved how it explained the history and ever evolving understanding of dinosaurs. There has been a lot of competition in the search for understanding about dinosaurs. The author shows how understanding has evolved and where we're at now. The illustrations are simply terrific. In my true style of reading graphic novels, I often had to remind myself to slow down and look at the illustrations and graphs as it is packed full of information. I don't have a good memory for all these facts, but I know a bunch of kids who'd totally absorb all this information and simply love it.


Earlier this month I read Coral Reefs from the same series. I will definitely watch for more of these books.




Goodreads summary:


Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic--dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

This volume: in Dinosaurs, learn all about the history of paleontology! This fascinating look at dinosaur science covers the last 150 years of dinosaur hunting, and illuminates how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed--and continue to change.  

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick)

I'm not one to re-read books very often. I have read this book a number of times though and love it every time. I have done this as a read-aloud before (good thing for smart boards where you can easily show all the pictures!) and this year I decided to do it as a novel study. I have done other Brian Selznick books before. It has always been a fantastic experience. The tricky part is getting enough copies of the book. It is an expensive book to buy so I haven't even dared ask the school to buy a class set. Instead, the Calgary Public Library kindly got enough copies that we could share a book amongst two students. It was wonderful!

I love it how kids take more care with illustrations. In this book you cannot ignore the illustrations. They tell the story as much as the words do, and sometimes tell you parts of the story the words have not told you.

Most of my students have not read a book as big as this one (although many claim they have...they are really moreso in the Geronimo Stilton mode as a whole, it seems). This one is a great stretcher and hopefully they will go on to read Wonderstruck and The Marvels this summer.

Recently, I have been reading Notice and Note and have tried to implement its strategies when I'm reading. I definitely plan to start using these strategies next year with book club.

Some of my favorite quotes and some of the Notice and Note signposts I noticed:

This is a great look into how we often can't know everything about someone else. Sometimes people do things that seem mean and they would totally not give themselves the same label because they have reasons for what they're doing.
p. 168 Hugo blinked. He had never thought of himself as mean before. The old man was mean, not him. Hugo had no choice...he had to keep secrets, but he couldn't explain this to the girl.

Again and again (Everytime Hugo is about to steal something he tubs his buttons):
p. 186  Hugo continued flipping through the book, seeing if there was anything at all about automata, but the book was silent on the subject. Still, Hugo wanted it very much. He knew that Monsieur Labisse lent books to Isabelle, but Hugo didn't want to just borrow this one. He wanted to own it.
He slipped it under his arm and inched toward the door. He rubbed the remaining buttons on his jacket...

Ah ha moment (Hugo and Isabelle realize maybe they can help Papa Georges find happiness):
p. 374 "Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?" he asked Isabelle. "They are built ot make you laugh, like a mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder, like the automaton. Maybe that's why a broken machines always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do."
Isabelle picked up the mouse, wound it again, and set it down.
"Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken."

then on p. 494 Isabelle and Hugo find out that Papa Georges was the one who painted an interesting picture of Prometheus that they saw. He says: "Then you know that Prometheus was rescued in the end. His chains were broken, and he was finally set free." The old man squinted one of his eyes and added, "How about that."

Goodreads summary:

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. 

The Lightning Thief - Graphic Novel

This week I read the graphic novel of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, which was adapted by a team of people. Of all the graphic novels I've read, I'd say this is one of my least favorites. I love the story, but I didn't like the pictures and all the "pow! ugh! Hmmm! Whuff! Ya!" The text was pretty flat. It tells enough of the story that you would get it and if the chapter book is too overwhelming, this is a good compromise. Or, if you’ve read the chapter book and want a quick review, this would be a good thing to read.

It doesn’t have the encounter with Medusa. You really have to look at the pictures to get the story, and sometimes I don’t know if that is possible. For example, when they’re in the fun place in Las Vegas it doesn’t describe what was so cool about it. The pictures have it, but without all the description, you wouldn’t really know all about it.

All in all, I give it a 'meh'.

Goodreads summary:

You've read the book. You've seen the movie. Now submerge yourself in the thrilling, stunning, and action-packed graphic novel.
Mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking out of the pages of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson's textbooks and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus.
Series creator Rick Riordan joins forces with some of the biggest names in the comic book industry to tell the story of a boy who must unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. 

Mad Scientist Academy - The Dinosaur Disaster

This will be perfect for my future palentologists. One student was just mentioning yesterday that he plans to become one! I probably won't use this one as a read aloud. It will be a good addition to our library corner, nonetheless.

Will definitely look for more book by this author though. We are CRAZY about graphic novels in our classroom.

Goodreads summary: 

Enroll in Dr. Cosmic’s class of clever monsters at the Mad Scientist Academy as they solve the greatest challenges in science, in this perfect blend of adventure and exploration—it’s the Magic School Bus for a new generation.
 
Welcome to Mad Scientist Academy! The first day of school is always exciting, and Dr. Cosmic’s new students can’t wait to get started. After their teacher reveals that their school pet, Oscar, is a dinosaur, they quickly realize Dr. Cosmic has an unusual teaching style. To find Oscar, the class has to follow the clues through the realistic dinosaur exhibit Dr. Cosmic designed and built over the summer. But when a malfunction causes the robotic dinosaurs to come alive, this prehistoric exhibit feels a little too real!
 
With a mad genius for a teacher, things don’t always go as planned. Armed with high-tech handbooks and the scientific method, Dr. Cosmic’s class is ready to solve their way out of any disaster. 

Star Wars: Jedi Academy (Jeffrey Brown)

One of my students gave me this book to read. I commented that I had seen those books a lot on blogs I follow and on twitter and I was curious about the phenomenon. He gave it to me to read. Unfortunately, it got put in a pile of stuff and I forgot about it. The other day he asked me, "Hey, did you read my Star Wars book?" I hadn't even clued in that it was a Star Wars book. I found it in the pile and told him I'd read it right away.

It's a really quick read - graphic novel and all. I sometimes have trouble reading graphic novels because often the pictures tell a lot and I tend to skim over them quickly.

Here's my confession: I'm not a Star Wars fan. Never watched the movies. Never watched it on TV. Never. I know. It's blasphemous to some. It just isn't my thing.

This book really wasn't my thing either. It was kind of painful, to tell you the truth. I totally blame that on my lack of Star Wars knowledge and love. However, I can see where those who really love Star Wars would love this book! I'm glad I read it. I might be able to maintain a little more of a Star Wars conversation now. Still not going to watch Star Wars though. :)

Goodreads Summary:

New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Jeffrey Brown takes readers to a middle school in a galaxy far, far away...

This incredible, original story captures all of the humor, awkwardness, fun, and frustrations of middle school--all told through one boy's comics, journal entries, letters, doodles, and newspaper clippings. The setting? A galaxy far, far away...

Roan's one dream is to leave home and attend Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. But just as Roan is mysteriously denied entrance to Pilot School, he is invited to attend Jedi Academy--a school that he didn't apply to and only recruits children when they are just a few years old. That is, until now...

This inventive novel follows Roan's first year at Jedi Academy where, under the tutelage of Master Yoda, he learns that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed. Oh, and he learns other important things too--like how to make a baking soda volcano, fence with a lightsaber, slow dance with a girl, and lift boulders with the Force.

Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril (Jarrett J Krosoczka)

Every week I hope to introduce a new author or series of books to my class since I have a number of kids who don't love reading yet. This week it is Lunch Lady to the rescue!! These books might be targeted to a slightly older crowd than Grade three, but I don't think it will matter. I know they'll love this series.

This is a hilarious story. A seemingly lovely photographer comes to the school for picture day - while at the same time everyone's face is breaking out like crazy. Lunch Lady has a funny feeling something is going on and looks into the matter. I had a good chuckle all the way through this book.

Goodread summary:

It's picture day at Thompson Brook, but the students are plagued by a freak acne epidemic. While the Breakfast Bunch scrambles to put their best faces forward, their hifalutin photographer raises Lunch Lady's eyebrows. She suspects the photographer may have an underhanded plan to break into the world of high fashion that puts the students in danger! Will Lunch Lady be able to storm the runway and stop the vogue rogue without blowing her cover?

Sleepless Knight (James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost)

Good summer book! Could also be a great one to read before a first camping trip. Lots of laughs and puns all along the way. Kids will really relate to the worry over losing his teddy bear while sleeping on his own. Fun book! Short sentences and simple language

The back of the book has instructions on how to draw the characters in the book. I can see this one staying hidden in a kid's desk so they can practice the drawing.

Goodreads summary:

The Knight can't wait for her first camping trip! She and her horse Edward pack everything they need--including her beloved Teddy--and head out into the woods. But when it's time for bed, Teddy is nowhere to be found!

A helpful rabbit thinks this "Teddy" sounds familiar, and sends the Knight off to a cave... but that's no teddy bear in that cave. That's a real bear!

In this sweet, simple adventure, basic comics elements combine with the picture book format to create a picture book for the youngest of comics readers, and a fantastic introduction into the world of Adventures in Cartooning

Life of Zarf (Rob Harrell)

As I read this, I could imagine my son chuckling away at the humour. I can't wait to share it with him! This book makes me think teaching middle school would be really fun :) They would really get a kick out of this humour.

This is kind of a mix of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and classic fairy tales. There is a troll (lowest in the middle school totem pole) named Zarf who gets teased because his names rhymes with barf. He has a bad temper and ends up beating up one of his classmates - the not so charming prince. The lunch lady at school is Goldilocks (yup, school lunches always involve porridge). Zarf's two best friends are a pig named Kevin (get it? Kevin Bacon??) who is a huge worrier and the Jester's son, Chester, whose jokes are just terrible. Their adventures together are hilarious. I hope there are more of these books to come!

Some of my favourite funny moments:

- Their cell phone provider is Grimm. "They are the worst!"

- The troll, the pig and the jester all go on an adventure. One night they end up staying with a family whose son has a nervous tic. Every twenty or so minutes he yells, "Wolf!" Of course, this doesn't go over well with Kevin the pig.

- Along the way they find a candy house!! They start indulging until suddenly it strikes them....Hansel and Gretl made this same mistake! In the end it turns out the lunch lady goldilocks bought the house from the original owner. The owner has. Now moved to Cabo and opened a tiki bar.m

One question I had:

Why does TrollPower always have a copyright symbol after the words? (I.e. P. 252)

Goodreads Summary: 

Shrek meets Wimpy Kid in this epically funny tale of a troll trying to figure out how to be more popular

It’s not easy being Zarf. As a troll, he's stuck at the bottom of the middle school hierarchy, way below
the prince and knights (populars), ogres and giants (jocks), and even the lowly minstrels (band geeks). Plus, trolls aren't exactly known for their brain power or cool demeanor. But it gets worse. When the king disappears and Zarf's archenemy, the prince, ascends the throne, he makes Zarf's life even more miserable. And so it is that Zarf and his two sidekicks (a neurotic, mutton-obsessed pig and the not-funny son of the court jester) set out to find the missing king as well as their way to middle school heroism. (Okay, the heroism part might be wishful thinking.)

The first book in this brilliant new illustrated series from comics creator Rob Harrell has the perfect mix of real world and fairy tale.

Wonderstruck (Brian Selznick)

I read this book years ago with my class. We did it again as an end of year novel study. Once again, it did not disappoint. This is a fantastic story. Brian Selznick seems to have a keen interest in theatre. Both this book and The Invention of Hugo Cabret involve cinema. Apparently his third book, The Marvels, does as well.

Goodreads Summary:


Reading it with my class this year was a really great experience. I got 9 copies of the book from the public library (thank you Calgary Public Library!) and we shared. I was so impressed with all the details we got this time around thanks to very observant students. Brian Selznick says that everything in his pictures is purposeful. I believe it!



Traditionally, when we do novel studies, it is paired with a workbook full of all sorts of comprehension questions, crossword puzzles, games and activities. I really simplified for this novel, and instead of a big booklet like that I usually use, we had a page where we wrote down cool vocabulary, some pages where we wrote summaries for each part of the book (it is divided into three parts) and then a page with finger spelling. At first, we'd stop when we came across cool words and write them down, but there was a lot of moaning and groaning. Eventually, I decided that isn't what real readers do. Instead, I gave them some sticky notes and had them put a sticky when they came across a word they thought was cool or didn't understand. The next day we'd start off our reading time by writing down 4 or 5 of these cool words and their definitions. Usually, we could get the meaning from the context. I encouraged kids, when they're reading other books, to use stickies to mark spots they want to remember to tell someone about or write about or have questions about.


Activity ideas:

• Pair this book with Matchbox Diary and make our own boxes of wonder
• Make a diorama about something we have been studying (pair with life cycle unit?)

Pedro and Me (Judd Winnick)

I learned about this book from a Nerdy Book Club blog post.

This is a true story. It's about a man who is HIV +. The author meets him when they make it through the auditions for an MTV series and become roommates in the house where the show is filmed. The story talks about prejudisms and misunderstandings around the disease.

My best friend's brother died of HIV/AIDs about the same time. When I think of the sadness and the shame around that time, it breaks my heart. No one was really willing to talk about it. Frankly, they still have a hard time talking about it. I'm glad there are some people making efforts to make those kinds of things change.

I'm coming a bigger fan of graphic novels all the time. They express a story in a way that is different than just print. The pictures mixed with the words can be very moving.

This picture of them all surrounding his bed when he died.....makes me stop and feel the moment. Powerful.

Some of the pictures were hilarious. Again, they captured the feelings from the moment so perfectly.

The author captured the process of grieving so beautifully with this poem: