It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Every Monday, the awesome duo at Teach Mentor Texts hosts their What Are You Reading? meme so that anyone who loves children's literature can share the titles they've recently enjoyed as well as their reading plans for the week!  Thanks, Jen and Kellee!
 
Be sure to head over to the Teach Mentor Texts blog to find out what everyone else is reading!

Early last week, I finished The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin, which, to be honest, didn't grab me right away.  I loved the main character, Oona, and the way she took care of her family and cat, but (and maybe it's because I'm not really a cat person), I felt like there were parts of the story that were unconnected.  I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because in the end, all of those seemingly unconnected threads ended up being woven together beautifully.  I recently read A Dog Called Homeless, another pet story about a character who has recently lost a parent, but Zook didn't tug at my heart strings in the same way.  Cally was the type of character who I wanted to comfort and hug, whereas Oona was the type of character I wanted to shake some sense in to.  What I love about both characters is the way they grow and learn to communicate with the adults in their lives so that they can come to terms with what it means to lose someone you love.

Last weekend I finished On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming, which is a collection of stories about a section of a Chicago cemetery reserved for people who died while in their teens.  Each story takes place in a different time period, and recounts the tale of how its narrator lost his or her life.  What I liked best about this collection of stories is that each is different and scary in a different way.  Some are spooky ghost tales, one is a science fiction horror story, another is a modern interpretation of W.W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw.  I picked this one up in hopes that it would have some stories that might be appropriate to share with my fifth graders, but it's definitely more of a middle school book than an elementary one.  Nonetheless, I'm glad I picked it up, as it helped get me into the Halloween spirit.



This week, I'm going to start Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper, which is the newest release from one of my favorite adult authors.  I've read every one of Morton's other books, and I'm looking forward to her unique combination of historical fiction and mystery!

Happy reading, everyone!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Every Monday, the awesome duo at Teach Mentor Texts hosts their What Are You Reading? meme so that anyone who loves children's literature can share the titles they've recently enjoyed as well as their reading plans for the week!  Thanks, Jen and Kellee!
 
Be sure to head over to the Teach Mentor Texts blog to find out what everyone else is reading!

I'm currently working my way through The Diviners by Libba Bray.  I've been reading this for about a week now, and I'm nearly half way through.  I'm actually kind of taking my time on this one one purpose, because I'm enjoying it so much!  I'm trying to savor this story!












Although I didn't finish any novels this week, I did read quite a few picture books, including some Halloween-themed new releases which were highly entertaining!

Here's what I read:

Creepy Carrots was a hilarious Halloween read that will have kids flipping through its pages again and again in search of details they missed the first time through.  Frankenstein was also a great read-aloud, and a perfect parody of Madeline.  I can't wait to read this one to my daughter, who practically has Madeline memorized!  Another favorite this week was I Will Not Read This Book, which was a silly, cumulative tale that will have kids laughing and parents rolling their eyes in recognition.

Here are my ratings (out of five stars) for this week's books:
Jack and the Beanstalk * * * *
The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster:  A Tale of Picky Eating * * * *
Liberty's Journey * * *
Saving Sweetness * * *
The Maggie B * * *
Liberty! * * * *
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore * * * * *
Red Knit Cap Girl * * *
The Chicken Problem * * * *
Frankenstein * * * *
Trick or Treat * * *
Creepy Carrots! * * * *
Vampirina Ballerina * * * *
The Insomniacs * * *
Wild About Books * * * *
Just For One Day * * *
Happy Birthday, Princess!* *
Cinderella Step Into Reading * *
Fly High, Fly Guy * * *
Hello Kitty Show and Tell * *
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy * * *
I Will Not Read This Book * * * *

This coming week, I hope to finish The Diviners and to continue to listen to Anne of Green Gables.  I'm not sure what I'll read next; it may depend on what type of mood The Diviners leaves me in!  Some books on my radar, though, include Remarkable by Lizzie K. Foley, In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, and The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex.

Have a great week, everyone, and happy reading to you!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Every Monday, the awesome duo at Teach Mentor Texts hosts their What Are You Reading? meme so that anyone who loves children's literature can share the titles they've recently enjoyed as well as their reading plans for the week!  Thanks, Jen and Kellee!
 
Be sure to head over to the Teach Mentor Texts blog to find out what everyone else is reading!

I just finished reading My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt.  I've always wanted to read this one, especially since I so enjoyed her novel, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, but I finally picked it up because of a book by another author!  Last week, I finished The Year of the Book, by Andrea Cheng, and her main character, Anna, loves to read.  One of my favorite things about The Year of the Book is the way we get to watch Anna lead a reading life.  As we follow Anna on her story, we also learn about the stories she's exploring through her reading, and, you guessed it, My Louisiana Sky is one of those stories.  So, thanks, Anna for inspiring me to finally dig in to this one!

My Louisiana Sky is one of those books whose characters are easy to fall in love with even though there's nothing easy about them.  Tiger Ann is a strong, endearing narrator, whose love for her family carries her through every storm she encounters.  I love that she is able to recognize her own insecurities and to work through her doubts while remaining true to herself and the ones she loves.

Read-alikes:  When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, Rules by Cynthia Lord, Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, Wonder by R.J. Polacio, Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles, Missing May by Cynthia Rylant, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron



Last week, I also read these titles:

A Dog Called Homeless was, as predicted, a tear-jerker.  It definitely made my top 10 list of books about dogs, but, like all good dog books, it's about so much more than the dog!  When Cally loses her mother and begins to have difficulty communicating with her father, she decides to stop talking altogether.  Some special friends (a few of the two-legged variety and one of the four-legged variety) end up convincing Cally that her voice is worth listening to.

I didn't need a fortune-teller to predict that I would love The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, the third novel in Tom Angleberger's Origami Yoda series!  The usual cast of characters is back, minus Dwight, and a new foldable Star Wars character is doling out advice.  Tommy, Harvey, Kellen and the gang soon realize, however, that even a paper fortune-teller guided by the force can't replace Dwight in all his weirdness!  Can the fortune wookiee help their friend, or is Dwight forever lost to the dark side?  As usual, I loved Angleberger's humor, and I love that he writes about kids who are genuinely interested in helping each other out!  I'm so excited that the series isn't going to end with Fortune Wookiee!

Here are my ratings (out of five stars) for this week's books:

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman * * * *

The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland * * *

The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock * * * *

The Art of Miss Chew by Patricia Polacco * * *

The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson * * * *

One Hen:  How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway * * *

There's a Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer * * * *

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean * * * *

The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger * * * *

Zinnia and Dot by Lisa Campbell Ernst * * *

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg * * * *

Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One by Kate Duke * *

Benny and Penny In the Toy Breaker by Geoffrey Hayes * * *

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish * *

The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy * * * *

Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler * * *

Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish * *

The Story of Hanukkah by Amy Ehrlich * * *

Little One Step by Simon James * * *

My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt * * * *

This week, I'm looking forward to starting Libba Bray's latest, The Diviners.  Although I love YA fiction, I don't typically read a lot of it during the school year, because I usually try to read books that are written at the age level of the kids who use my library.  BUT I've heard so many good things about it, and I absolutely love everything Libba Bray has ever written, SO I'm going to allow myself this one!

I'm also continuing to listen to an audio recording of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.  I have a feeling it's going to take me a while to listen to the whole thing-mostly because I have limited listening time available to me at the moment, but I'm enjoying getting re-acquainted with this long-time favorite of mine!  I've noticed that, as an adult reader, I'm finding much more humor in Anne Shirley's escapades; whereas, as a child, I felt a great deal of sympathy and injustice on her behalf!

Have a great week of reading, everyone!

Book Review by Ashlie

Mrs. Lewis' 5th grade classes have written book reviews on E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Here's Ashlie's review:

I thought the book was very good and I would really like reading it some other time too. The story is about to kids named Jamie and Claudia that had run away from home and went to New York. I would say that Jamie is my favorite character because he is funny and he keeps up with the money and everything. I think it would be kind of better if it told when she died and if they got the sketch.

Book Review by Nathan

Mrs. Lewis' 5th grade reading classes have written book reviews on E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I'll be publishing their reviews on this blog once or twice a week. Here's Nathan's review...

The book that I think i`m talking about if The mixed up files of Mrs.Basil E.Frankweiler.It is a good book.But I would like it more if they put them going to Texas maybe.If I had a favorie character I would say Jamie because he cheats at war which reminds me of myself.
I would say the plot would be Claudia is somebody who thinks she doesn`t get treated equally.So she makes a plan to run away and brings her brother Jamie along.

Book Review by Creann

Mrs. Lewis' 5th grade reading classes have written book reviews on E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I'll be publishing their reviews on this blog once or twice a week. Here's Creann's review...

The mixed up files of mrs.basil e.frank weiler is an incredible book.it is based on two children named Claudia and james Kincaid,bout james family likes to call him jamie.Claudia and Jamie ran away from home because Claudia thought that she was gettingtreated unfarely. So Claudia chose Jamie to come with her.They went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.My favorite character is mrs.Basil E. Frank weiler becauseshe is rich and helpful. She is helpful becauseat the end of the story she help Cladia and Jamie Kincaid get back home were their supposed to be.If anything I would add is that at the end of the story that Claudia nd jamie kincaid’s parents told them how was their trip to them when they got home from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Thank you vewiers

Book Review: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

by Rodman Philbrick

After their parents die, Homer and his older brother, Harold, are sent to live with thier Uncle Squinton, who forces them to live in a barn and who feeds his animals better than his nephews. When "Uncle Squint" has Harold illegally enlisted (Harold is only 17) in the Union Army, Homer runs away in search of his big brother.

Along the way, Homer encounters such characters as Stink and Smelt, two thieves and bounty hunters, Jebediah Brewster, a Quaker pacifist, whom Homer mistakes for God himself, Reverend Webster B. Willow, who falls for the wrong woman, Professor Fleabottom, who leads a rag tag group of circus performers, and a hot air balloon named Tilda. Throughout his many adventures, Homer, in a fashion that would make Huck Finn proud, displays his knack for embellishing the simplest of truths into full-fledged whoppers while maintaining an undying devotion to his brother.

A humorous, heart-felt, and accurately detailed view of the Civil War through the eyes of a boy, The Mostly True Adventures will take you through a stop on the Underground Railroad, across the water in passenger ferry, over the land in a wagon caravan, through the sky in an "airship," and into the midst of the battlefield to a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.

Call Number: F PHI

Reading Level: 5.6

AR Points: 7

Reviews: Booklist, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly

Awards: Newberry Honor

If You Liked This, You Might Like: Turn Homeward, Hannalee (F BEA), Maude March on the Run! (F COU), When Harriet Met Sojourner (920 C)

Book Review: The Uglified Ducky

The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale
As told to Willy Claflin, Illustrated by James Stimson

This week in the library, several classes had a chance to listen to The Uglified Ducky, a lighthearted re-telling of the classic tale, The Ugly Duckling. Narrator Maynard Moose, in his distinctive moose dialect, recounts the story of a baby moose who accidentally "blunders" into a duckling nest and is adopted by Mommy Ducky, who proclaims him to be "the most uglified ducky I never see!" After several attempts to become a proper ducky, complete with a visit to the family doctor who diagnoses him with both quadrapedagogy and a "bad case of antlers," the uglified ducky happens upon some "magnifusent beasties," who have hooves and antlers like him. All turns out well, when our hero discovers that he is, in fact, a moose, not a ducky, and he bounds joyfully away with his new moose family. Playfully told in a hilariously distinctive voice, The Uglified Ducky, is a tale for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit.

Call Number: F CLA
Reading Level: 3.6
AR Points: 0.5
Reviews: School Library Journal
Awards: 2010 Texas Bluebonnet Nominee
If You Liked This, You Might Like: The Ugly Duckling (F AND), The Hinky Pink (F MCD), Cinder-Elly (398.21 Min)