The Girl Who Drank The Moon (Kelly Barnhill)

 

It took me a while to get into this book. After about 100 pages, I was entranced It took me a while to get into this book. After about 100 pages, I was entranced by the writing and by the story. There's something really special about it! It made for a great Children's Lit book club discussion as well.. There's something really special about it! It made for a great Children's Lit book club discussion as well.

Goodreads says:

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. 

One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.

The Dragon Thief (Zetta Elliott)

 

I reluctantly did this as a read aloud. We did the first book as a read aloud and it ended with such a cliff hanger that I gave in to reading the second one aloud. It ended up going over winter break though so it felt like it took us forever to finish it. Coincidentally, the 3rd book comes out on this very day! It's only in hard-cover though so we're going to have to wait...if only for the reason that I don't want to have the first two books in soft cover and then the third in hard cover! LOL I might take it out from the public library though and read it on my own. 

Dragons and magic are all really fun. In addition to that, I think this author does a good job of incorporating lessons and big topics without making it too pedantic or preachy. I will be able to find lots of reasons to refer back to it  for elaborative detail and stretching out a main event. It's a great book!

Notice and Note Signposts:

Theme: Belonging (p. 22)  Fitting in (p. 24)

Memory Moment: 

• Dad's death pp. 40-41

Again and Again

• Kenny/Jax - dads are absent

Words of the wiser

• p. 22 When you lose your home you lose part of yourself
• p. 24 Mumy says you can lose yourself if you try too hard to fit in
• p. 146
• p. 148

Contrasts and Contradictions

• p. 30

Ah ha Moment

Tough Questions

• p. 108 How To Handle Blue

Goodreads says:

Stealing a baby dragon was easy! Hiding it is a little more complicated.

Jaxon had just one job--to return three baby dragons to the realm of magic. But when he got there, only two dragons were left in the bag. His best friend's sister, Kavita, is a dragon thief!

Kavita only wanted what was best for the baby dragon. But now every time she feeds it, the dragon grows and grows! How can she possibly keep it secret? Even worse, stealing it has upset the balance between the worlds. The gates to the other realm have shut tight! Jaxon needs all the help he can get to find Kavita, outsmart a trickster named Blue, and return the baby dragon to its true home.

Big Bad Bruce (Bill Peet)

 

This is really fun to read aloud! The witch's voice and Bruce's voice are so easy to imagine. Great read aloud! It was our inaugural read now that we have a document camera and can read something besides e-books! Yea!!

Goodreads says:

Bruce, a bear bully, never picks on anyone his own size until he is diminished in more ways than one by a small but very independent witch.

The Little Knight Who Battled Monsters (Gilles Tibo)

A Canadian author. Yea!!

This story was so cute. It is a great friendship story....similar to enemy pie. Maybe most of the witches and ogres and ghosts out there are just misunderstood.

We really had some good chuckles. The whole chocolate cake business was a good starter for conversations. Imagine how much more this little knight could do if he ate healthy? LOL The book will be a favorite in our library corner, for sure. Every page is full of hilarious labels and comments that will keep kids engrossed for long stretches, I'm sure.

This book isn't listed on Goodreads!!

Here is the story summary from my library:

Sometimes the bravest thing a knight can do is to lay down his arms.

In a curious kingdom built on top of a forest lives a little knight. He has no battles, because there are no enemies around. He spends long days reading and planting flowers, long nights dreaming and snoring peacefully.

One day the little knight wakes with a start to a loud knocking at his fortress door. Three of his loyal subjects have been kidnapped! With fresh chocolate cake in his belly, he sets off into the dark forest to find the monsters holding them captive. Can the little knight keep his vow and return them home safely?

The Widow's Broom (Chris Van Allsburg)

Nothing like a good mystery to keep everyone's attention! A fun story with a good twist at the end.

Goodreads summary:

A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.

Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School (Simon Puttock)

The timing of this book was great. We had just read Angel Child Dragon Child and talked a lot about what it would be like to be the new kid at school. Mouse is the new "kid" at his school. His answer to dealing with his nervousness is to hide - perfectly logical!

I had to chuckle that the other two classmates are a cat and an owl - two animals that feed on mice. No wonder Mouse hid!

The teacher actually is a witch in the story. Mouse is hidden on most of the pages. It is a fun book to read.

Goodreads Summary:

—It's Mouse's first night at Miss Moon's Moonlight School, but Mouse is shy—too shy to even say hello. Luckily, with help from Miss Moon and her new friends Bat, Cat, and Owl, a game of hide-and-seek makes Mouse feel right at home.

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.

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth (E.L. Konigsburg)

Lovely little story. I have to wonder if it would get a Newberry Award these days. The pursuit of witchcraft and secrets from parents might turn people off. Some might even wonder if there's a little bullying in the story. There certainly is a friendship that seems a little one-sided...but it all works out in the end. It was a realistic glimpse into children's friendships.

Goodreads summary:

Elizabeth is an only child, new in town, and the shortest kid in her class. She's also pretty lonely, until she meets Jennifer. Jennifer is...well, "different." She's read "Macbeth." She never wears jeans or shorts. She never says "please" or "thank you." And she says she is a witch. It's not always easy being friends with a witch, but it's never boring. At first an apprentice and then a journeyman witch, Elizabeth learns to eat raw eggs and how to cast small spells. And she and Jennifer collaborate on cooking up an ointment that will enable them to fly. That's when a marvelous toad, Hilary Ezra, enters their lives. And that's when trouble starts to brew.

Favorite quotes:

"Jennifer," I asked, "what do you ever do besides read?"
She looked up at the sky and sighed and said very seriously, "I think."


“...just because I don't have on a silly black costume and carry a silly broom and wear a silly black hat, doesn't mean that I'm not a witch. I'm a witch all the time and not just on Halloween.” 

The Witches (Roald Dahl)

The Witches has become a bit of a tradition in my life. I read it aloud to my class two years ago. Last year, instead, we did it for Book Club and it was a real hit.  This year I got a bit of push back on it. Some parents weren't happy with kids reading about witches. I have really began to worry less about those criticisms over the past year or so. I am more comfortable recommending books and realize that not every book is for every kid. Actually, I quite like it when there are disagreements because it makes for a better discussion. If nothing else, it helps us all to expand our thinking just a little bit.

We had a fun discussion and we played the character game - a good old stand by. All in all, I loved reading this with these kids. Next year though, I might have to save it for a read aloud in class. It is just too fun to read aloud!

A Witch?

Here we thought the problem was taken care of! Today, on the way to swim practice, we someone who we're sure is a witch!

Who wears black gloves in the middle of summer??! I'm thinking she didn't have her wig on either and that's why she's wearing a hat. We tried to see her nostrils but couldn't get close enough.



Be careful children!!

Miss Nelson is Missing (Harry Allard)

How did I not know about this book?? One of my colleagues sent me a video to watch. After watching the video I had to go find the book....then I had to share it with my class. Love it! I'm thinking this should be one to read at the beginning of the school year! The kids are misbehaving for their lovely good natured teacher. As a result, a nasty substitute teacher, Miss Viola Swamp comes and teaches them all  a lesson!


We read the story then watched the video. The kids loved it. We discussed what was the same, what was different, and what a great job the class did.

Reread May 2022: Good connection to integrity (do what you're supposed to do even when no one is looking....or you'll get the mean teacher!)

Goodreads says:

Miss Nelson was the nicest teacher in the school. She never yelled and she gave the easiest assignments. She was always smiling and cheery, even when her students cut up in class or would not open their arithmetic books nor pay attention during story hour.

Until one day Miss Nelson did not come to school – a substitute teacher came instead. What an opportunity for everyone to be even more naughty. Not so! Miss Swamp immediately laid down the law – no talking, no goofing off in class – and she gave every student loads of homework.

Where was Miss Nelson? Where was the wonderful unappreciated Miss Nelson? And so the students hunted for her high and low, with the dubious help of detective McSmogg.

Harry Allard and James Marshall, with their incisive feel for the nuances of relationships, point out with imagination and humor the folly of being inconsiderate or unappreciative.

   

Breadcrumbs (Anne Ursu)

 

I love this book!! It is brilliantly written. It captures beautifully the magic of imagination alive with children. It makes you wonder if we all shouldn't stay in that phase of life. It is a book a well-read child would really get. And best of all, the princess has to save the prince! It made my feminist heart proud.

The story is about a girl named Hazel who has a best friend named Jack. Girls' and boys' can be best friends, of course, but there comes a time in life where people start thinking it's not okay. Hazel is at that point in life. Her friend Jack seems to be turning away and hanging out with boys more. Hazel knows something is wrong and only she can save him because only she knows the truth - his heart has been frozen by the White Witch. She has to do something! Sometimes the princess CAN save the prince. And sometimes kids DO know more than adults, and luckily they have magic and imagination on their side.

This book is full of themes that kid's face: leaving the magical world of imagination and growing up, figuring out who you really are (p. 176), learning to fit in (p. 17), or realizing it's okay to not fit in, being stifled by school and it's silly rules (p. 10), being adopted (p. 17), being a proper young lady like people expect you to be (p. 9) and relationships with parents. In this book the parents are lost in their own world and really no help to the kids because either they don't believe, or they're too busy with their own issues to even know the big problems the kids are facing...just like in all fairy tales. Parents and adults are totally peripheral.

The bread crumb theme was really interesting. I think the purpose of that was to talk about how sometimes you have to follow the clues that are left to comfort yourself, and sometimes you have to follow them to save yourself. (p. 15, p. 150)

I love how the author brings fairy tale characters into this story. It is brilliant! Because the characters in this story are familiar with so many great stories, they're able to build their lives around rich imaginative play. It is powerful! (p.224) Hazel's friendship with Jack is a strong one because he is the only person she knows who sees things for what they could be instead of what they are. Together they can see what lives beyond the edges of what your eyes take in. (p. 20)

Stories and books referenced:

p. 2 Narnia
p. 13 Wrinkle in Time
p. 31 The Golden Compass
p. ? Harry Potter
p. 161 Red Riding Hood
p. 164 Alive in Wonderland
p. 168 a woodsman
p. 171 Dorothy (red shoes)
p. 176 3 witches/fairies....from Cinderella??
p. 187 the witch from Sleeping Beauty?? she wanted to be beautiful....swan lady
p. 200 Hansel and Gretel (only Hansel's name is Ben)
p. 220 magic potions abound!
p. 224 a couple who turn little girls into flowers so they can keep them (??)
All through out part 2 there are wolves....they seem bad. Wolves are always bad in fairy tales right?  But on p. 252 she realizes these woods are ones where the woodsman tells lies, and so maybe the wolves are telling the truth (and they are!)
p. 253 the Little Match Girl
And of course, there is a magical object they use to save themselves from danger (a signed baseball!)

Witches (Roald Dahl)

 

I have always wanted to read The Witches aloud at Halloween time, and this year I finally got to. This book is a great read aloud. Sometimes, while doing s particular good job on my voice for the grand high witch some of the children in my class would timidly say, Mrs. Ackroyd I'm scared!" Success!! I hope they will always remember the thrill of listening to this story. I know I will always remember their squeals and laughter as we read this book. It is truly one of the best read alouds I have experienced! The story is about a boy whose parents die. He ends up living with his grandmother, who teaches him about the thing many children fear: witches! But not pretend witches.....real witches. And these witches hate children. Their mission in life is to rid the world of all children. And what an adventure it is as they battle it out! Definitely a must read.