#IMWAYR Aug. 19

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.
GREAT IDEA! Check out all of the What Are You Reading? participants for title ideas.






Last Week
Black Ice by Andy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was thoroughly enjoying things ... until all of a sudden it was over. #pacingfail






Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists by Chris Duffy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun ... but not for actual young kids. Much of the text is handwritten in a way that made it hard for ME to read ... and I'm a teacher used to deciphering student writing.

I can see a few of our older elementary students picking it up and enjoying a few pages but not reading it all the way through. I skimmed a good deal of it myself.


Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading about these three women. I didn't know their lives were so intertwined. The graphic novel format was fun ... the animals were given great facial expressions.

Only reason it's not a four is that there were many times when I felt like it kind of skipped around. Nature of the beast, I guess, covering three women in one book. But it felt a bit disjointed in places.


Audition & Subtraction by Amy Fellner Dominy

Didn't write even my usual short review for this one. But I liked it. Great for middle school!






Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I enjoyed it as a very believable and heartbreaking (but in a way that makes you believe in the redeeming power of teen relationships ... both friendships and romance) story. Plus awesome music references.

I just ... really could have done without the language. Say all you want "It's how teens talk" but it's not how ALL teens talk. Even now ... cause I know I'm not a teen anymore. Actually the same can be said about adult friends. But as a teen my friends that might have used that sort of language when I wasn't around were careful not to around me, and if they slipped apologized before I ever said a word. In fact it was rare I ever DID point anything out ... they were just perceptive enough to notice I didn't and adjusted themselves accordingly. Once or twice in a book and I hardly notice. There were several pages, though, were it seemed like every other word was bordering on offensive.

Definitely a young adult. Worth reading but I really wish it could be read WITHOUT the language because it really brought the story down for me.


Ollie by Olivier Dunrea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Too cute. My sis just had a little boy and he has two older sisters. His name is Ollie but their names are not Gossie and Gertie. I might deface the book and put stickers over the text and change the names. ;)


Ollie the Stomper by Olivier Dunrea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can't wait to see if OUR Ollie is as stubborn as this one.


The Tell-Tale Start: The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe, Book One by Gordon McAlpine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very high three. Really a four in terms of writing but three in terms of premise. There were funny lines sprinkled throughout the story, and some fun (at least for an adult, kids may not recognize them as such but they'll still enjoy the book!) literary references. The illustrations were fun for a "chapter book."

Only thing I wasn't as keen on was the premise of why the professor was after the boys in the first place.

Will read the second and probably get them both for our school collection. Not perfect but enjoyable all the same.


Coming Up
Well ... summer's over. And the fun doesn't start for another week (lucky kids). This week is all PD. Not PD we picked, either. C'est la vie.

ALL SUMMER I meant to finish Notice and Note. And several other professional titles. Where did you go, summer?

I greatly enjoyed the audiobook of book one. The library didn't have 2&3 in audio format so I guess I'll just have to read them with my eyes instead of my ears. ;)

And remember all those fun e-arcs? Need to schedule those. Oh, plus I have a blog tour stop coming up. Never done that before ... I should figure out what I'm supposed to do. And finish that book. It's pretty fun so far so that's good. Would be awkward if I didn't like the book.

Good luck to anyone getting ready for school to start!

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'll call it juvenile non-fic but just know that this is a biography of a great war hero ... and a great war criminal. There is death and dying and violence in the book.



Benedict Arnold was both at the same time ... did I know that before? Apparently I need to brush up on my American history.



Anyway. I did enjoy it. Just not sure if I will get a copy for our school collection. If I worked in a middle school ... for sure. I would because it's well researched and written and interesting. For elementary, though? Got some (not to be prejudicial but the ones I'm thinking of are boys) who might enjoy it. Will have to look at more reviews and see what the recommended age ranges are.



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Picture Book Biographies

The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn by Robert Burleigh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Love the pictures and even learned a few new things about his life (like the name Mark Twain comes from riverboats testing the depth of the waters ahead).



I may come back and change this to a four. I just can't help but think the dialect ... while interesting and true to the style of many of Mark Twain's stories ... is going to be a stumbling block for many kiddos. I could be wrong ... but I know, for example, they get very confused with some of the anachronisms in Bubba, The Cowboy Prince. Even the older ones. So we'll see.



PERFECT as an easy intro to Mark Twain for older students.






Barnum Brown: Dinosaur Hunter by David Sheldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Though I still do not understand the fascination with dinosaurs ... the kiddos at my school love them. This is a nicely accessible picture book biography to encourage casual readers. Not quite enough info for research ... but more than enough to pique curiosity to look further!







A Wizard from the Start: The Incredible Boyhood and Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison by Don Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Great description of his childhood as promised by the cover ... but not much more. Liked the illustrations.


And EGADS. Reading the author's note at the end? Trying to compete with Tesla and his AC current Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant?


Wish I didn't know that. Before today I'd always thought of him as such a creative, hard-working innovator. Now I'm also going to remember that. :[







The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin by Cheryl Harness

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ben Franklin did many great things for our country. Didn't know he started from such humble beginnings or that he had so much ... family drama, shall we say?

Kid appropriate. Only thing I would say is that there is an awful lot of text for a "picture book biography." One of those cases where the teacher would say "no, that's not long enough for your report" but the younger kids would get lost in all the words.

Loved the quote around the portrait on the opening page ... "If you would not be forgotten, As soon as you are dead and rotten, Either write things worthy reading, Or do things worth the writing. B.F."






The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great storytelling and I loved the illustrations.



Though ... I've always been told the first "TV" broadcast was in the BY Academy in Provo--well, the tour guide told me that when we went through it back in my undergrad days when it was all falling apart (they've since remade the building into Provo's Public Library). This book made it sound like it was in CA. I wonder who was right?



Thought it was interesting that Philo didn't do much in the way of TV watching ... except for the landing on the moon. It didn't turn out exactly like he might have envisioned but he was right. The shared experience of watching a story is a fun way to bring people together.



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Survival at 40 Below by Debbie S. Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oh, I liked this one. The paintings are beautiful ... cool colors that almost help you to "hear" the quiet. Then interesting facts about the animals and the adaptations that help them to survive in this frigid climate. I need to order this one pronto! Even though it's cooled off some here in Texas ... anything that will help our kiddos understand places that are very different is a good thing. Might help inspire them to take better care of the planet.



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PS I might be the only one still blogging right now. That's what happens when you're stuck on the couch. Dumb back.

Soar, Elinor! by Tami Lewis Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Looks like I was behind the times coming to this one but I'm so glad I did. What an interesting person! Will have to add her to our third grade wax museum list.



I really like picture book biographies ... especially the well done ones. This tells enough of the story to give a good picture of her life from childhood to the experiences that made her famous, but without so much detail that a reader gets bored or distracted or bogged down in difficult text. If they need more information there are, of course, other places to go--including the notes at the end that talk about the research the author did.



Plus the illustrations are just beautiful at giving a sense of time and place.



I won a Skype visit for our students from the author last week. Can't wait to figure out which class will participate and talk more with her about it.



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The Map of Me by Tami Lewis Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


How funny. I was offered a copy of this book to review for my blog and then ... oh, about a month later (I'm a little behind in my reading--been under the weather for a while now, dumb fall allergies) I won a Skype visit from this author through a different blog.



Luckily ... I liked it! Really! Kind of reminded me of Frances O'Roark Dowell, Frances O'Roark in terms of writing style. This is realistic fiction about a young girl named Margie trying to find her place in middle school and in her family. Younger sister Peep is the family genius, Dad's too busy to notice, and Mom is unhappy. One day ... Mom leaves. Margie goes after her and drags her sister along for the drive. Yes, that's right. Drive ... even though Margie is in the sixth grade. Might they have wanted to put some sort of disclaimer in there about "don't try this at home"? Kind of ridiculous to even consider that so in one way I'm glad they didn't. Surely kiddos would know not to put the key in the ignition outside of a book?



"Another minute and we were on Bridge Street. I stepped hard on the gas and we flew right across. out of Ithaca. Off the page. Gone" (p 51).



"Maybe throwing that atlas out the window hadn't been my smartest move, but I couldn't give Peep the upper hand. Peep could not be Queen of the Road. That title belonged to me" (p 61).



Two examples of how the whole map analogy is tied through the story without being preachy.



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Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


More Kadir Nelson fangirl gushing here.



Lovely paintings. Like the one where all the kids are sitting around listening to Jackie Robinson talk about his early days in the Major Leagues. There's one little boy with glasses and big ears that stick out. He just makes me laugh. A funny character.



And then the painting where he is coming back from testing the ice for all of the neighborhood kids. The text says "All I could think was: My Dad is the bravest man alive."



How wonderful that due to talented athletes like Jackie Robinson, and civil rights workers like MLK, that kids know are more likely to think their dads are amazing because they test the frozen ice on the lake than because they broke racial barriers in major league sports.



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Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I actually finished this one a couple of weeks ago. I just didn't really know what to say about it.



I am a Jane Austen fan. Every book and every movie.



BUT ...

there was too much rehashing of her books. For Jane Austen fans it was redundant--we've read the books and don't need to hear it all again. Jane told them best. For readers new to Jane Austen ... why give away the storyline in such a fashion? Entire plots were summarized.



The parts about Jane's life were well written. Nothing super new but then again I am already a fan. I do want to give the author that credit.



Wish I had more to say about it. I'm still getting used to reading on a Nook, so maybe that is part of my frustration. Can't stick postit notes between pages where there are lovely lines or parts that don't work. Too impatient to read with a notebook next to me (at least at this point) and set the nook down every time I want to make a note.



I guess it might be useful for maybe some biography research. I'd rather see a new JA reader read an encyclopedia article about Jane's life and then actually READ ONE OF HER BOOKS, though.





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Writing

I think it's hard. Harder than reading, anyway. BUT these ladies (Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer) make it seem like fun! I heard about this book at the BYU Symposium for Young Readers back in July. I've been singing the praises of the book to all my teacher friends ever since. I think with teacher guidance this book could be useful really in third grade through middle school. Budding writers working independently ... maybe just a tad older at fourth or fifth grade.

Don't miss out on the blog. Their teacher kit has some premade, ready to download/print "I Dare You" posters. The dares were some of my favorite parts of the book. Well, those and Matt Phelan's illustrations.

Rules for School

Can I just say ... this kid (if he's for real, and I REALLY HOPE HE IS!) is just amazing. He's so spot on observing human interaction in all of his books. But today we're talking about this one 'cause it's the one the mailman delivered.

School. It's about to start! Kids (and teachers) are all excited. And a little nervous. What to expect in the coming year?

I would say this would be most useful in ... maybe second through fourth or fifth grade? Read aloud during the first couple days of school. Talk about some of the situations he mentions. Maybe have the kids write some of their own Rules for School.

"Rule #14 Make the most of it.... My favorite time is Library because books are awesome. Tip: If you don't like a book, don't worry. There is a book for everyone. Ask the librarian to help you." (43-44)

Warms my heart.

And of course ... I love, love, love, love, LOVE the illustrations.

I will try to tone down the effusive adjectives. This is just a cute book.