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.

We Are Family (LeBron James and Andrea Williams)

 

I read this aloud to my class. I probably wouldn't have picked it (even if I had read it ahead of time) but when the student who rarely listens to the read alouds comes to you and says, "Could we PLEASE read this one next?"! the answer will always be YES! 

As I got reading, I realized there were some things that were just a little too much for the age of students I teach. There's domestic violence, teen pregnancy, bullying, financial stress, alcoholism and more. The authors are also very elaborate with their description. While it's really well explained and would be great to help you get into the mind of the character, it just didn't move fast enough as a read aloud. I started to read ahead and find parts I could skip and that worked just fine. 

All that being said, there are some great lessons taught in this book. Lessons about never giving up on your dreams, pushing through trials, supporting your friends and possibility thinking. LeBron James apparently co-wrote the book, and that's always going to be a hit with the kids who love basketball. That man does a lot of good in the world and I'm happy to support his efforts by buying and reading this one.

Goodreads says:

Kids have big dreams. And when those dreams are on the line, how far are they willing to go to achieve them?

When Jayden and his teammates find out there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year--and maybe ever again--they have to learn to lean on each other if they want to save their basketball season, in this inspiring new middle grade novel from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams.

Jayden Carr has been training all summer to be ready for Hoop Group--the free afterschool basketball program where his hero, NBA superstar Kendrick King, got his start. But when his beloved coach tells him there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year, Jayden is heartbroken.

And he's not the only one. Coach Beck's daughter, Tamika, was planning to be the first girl ever to start for the squad. Chris King, Kendrick's only nephew, spent the summer bragging that his uncle was coming home just to watch him play. For Anthony Pierson, Hoop Group was supposed to be his way out of trouble. And for Dexter Donyel, all 4'6" of him, Hoop Group was his chance to finally be part of a team, instead of just watching from the stands.

For each kid, Hoop Group was more than just a chance to ball; it was an escape, a dream, a family. Now their prospects seem all but impossible--but then the world hasn't met Jayden, Tamika, Chris, Anthony, and Dex before. Determined to have their shot, the five new friends scrap, hustle, fight, and play hard to save their season to prove that sometimes a chance is all it takes.

It's an inspiring, original middle grade story from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams that channels the many relatable challenges so many young kids face.

The first step to winning is getting out on the court.

Wink (Rob Harrell)

 

Funny thing. This was one of the choices for our book club but it wasn't the book picked. Somehow I still bought it and read it thinking that it was....and I'm so glad I did read it. It's a great book. I've been through the cancer rollercoaster with family and I thought the author did a great job of portraying how hard it is to roll with the good news and the bad news that wrecks your mind and heart. I've never had cancer myself, but it seemed like a legit response, especially for a middle school kid. The different responses of his friends and family also seemed very real. Might be a little mature for grade 3....but if a kid were going through this kind of thing, I'd definitely do a book talk on this one to encourage them to read it. I'll look for more Rob Harrell books!

Now....to go get the RIGHT book before our meeting. LOL

Goodreads says:

A wrenching and hilarious story about embracing life's weirdness and surviving an unthinkable diagnosis, based on the author's own experience with a rare eye cancer.

Twelve-year-old Ross Maloy just wants to be normal. Not to have a rare eye cancer, not to lose his hair, not to have to wear a weird hat or have a goopy eye full of ointment. Just normal. But with a sudden and horrifying diagnosis, Ross can't help standing out. His new life is medical treatments that feel straight out of a video game, vision loss in one eye, disappearing friends who don't know what to say to "the cancer kid," cruel bullying, and ultimately, friendships new and old that rise above everything.

Just when Ross starts to feel like he's losing his footing, he discovers how music, art, and true friends can change everything. Filled with Rob Harrell's comic panels (Batpig for the win!) and spot art, this novel brings effortless humor and hope to an unforgettable, uplifting story of survival.

Jacob Have I Loved (Katherine Paterson)

I got this book out after reading Bridge to Terabithia (again) for my grade three book club. Katherine Paterson is quite a renound author, but I haven't really read anything else of hers. I decided I should. I was interested in seeing what she did with the Jacob and Esau reference. 

Is the Jacob and Esau story a foundation for a meta narrative? I had no idea. Seemed intriguing though. She certainly does weave plenty of biblical reference through this entire story. 

As I read, I wondered if this would be a good story to do for grade three book club. There were enough odd moments (huge crush on someone who could be her grandpa? Her senile grandmother accusing her mother endlessly of being a harlot?!) that made me realize it wouldn't be appropriate. As a matter of fact, as I read I started to hate the main character. I wondered how in the world the book became a Caldecott winner. However, as I kept on, I realized there really is beauty in the story. She touches on some themes in an amazing way.

Main themes seem to be finding yourself and sibling rivalry. Sara Louise hates her twin sister. She seems justified. Her sister smart quite unaware of the rivalry. She just goes about doing what she does...totally irritating Sarah Louise, who never resolves the problems with her sister. It makes it so that their sisterhood isn't at all one of those wonderful friendships. Not at all. Actually, Sarah Louise's negativity and loathing really began to wear on me. At the part where she is complaining to her mother about her mother's choices in life, I realized that she  really needed to quit projecting her unhappiness on to everyone else! Happily, she does seem to figure this out for herself. She finally realizes that she needs to do what makes her happy and goes away to school. She's wants to become a doctor, but it is a time when women are really only expected to be nurses. She ends up in a small mountainous community, being the only medical professional, and ends up marrying. In her new life, she leaves her family behind, even unable to return fo funerals. Frankly, I knew if she did go back, she would go straight back to her miserableness.....so I understood her not going.

The story comes full circle when she delivers twins, spending her energy saving the life of one while the other waits in a basket.....just like when she was born. I feel like she would have made the connection and perhaps had some healing as a result of the experience.

There is magic and wisdom in this story. It would be great to read it with middle school students or even with adults....especially my church friends.

Goodreads summary:

Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . . With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright.

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.