Eleven

It is unbelievable to me that in just a few weeks, we will mark the 15th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th. Students that I see in the library will never know the raw emotion of that horrific day. Everyone always says, "Never Forget", but maybe we have a little. Maybe forgotten is the wrong word. We will never forget if we were old enough to remember that day. We will always remember where we were, what we were doing and how we felt. Just like the generations before when it comes to the Challenger explosion or the assassination of JFK.

What do we tell our students? What do we tell our own kids to stress the importance of what happened that day and how it changed the world? Fortunately for us, we have the book, Eleven, by Tom Rogers.

Eleven is a beautifully written story about a boy, Alex, who is turning 11 on September 11 and all he wants is a dog - his "birthday dog".  His mother is a nurse and father is a drives the PATH train into Manhattan and his birthday doesn't turn out as he had planned.  After his last words the night before to his dad were, "I hate you", Alex tries to make a deal with God to get his dad home safely only to have his end of the deal fall apart. Alex meets a man who tells him, "Sometimes when a terrible thing happens, it can make a beautiful thing seem even more precious."

Young people today will be able to feel the emotions that all of us felt on that tragic day. They will be able to get a sense of what someone their age was feeling and seeing and hearing. I was on my way to work as an 8th grade teacher when I heard the first tower had been hit on the radio. Eleven brought me back to that morning and the feeling of udder helplessness. It also let me remember how our nation came together to support each other any way we could. We made it a point to check in with our neighbors, we smiled at strangers, we slowed down and appreciated life and one another. Out of an incomprehensible tragedy came love. Maybe when you read this book, you will remember that we stood as one together, not against each other as we do today. Please don't let it take another horrific event for us to remember that. Show each other love....

Eleven by Tom Rogers

Books that made me go, huh?

Do I like everything that I read? Most of the time the answer is yes! But this past week I finished two books that made me kinda go, huh?

The first one is a graphic novel by Matt Phelan, titled Bluffton. The story takes place in Muskegon, Michigan beginning in 1908. A boy, Henry, befriends a young vaudeville performer, Buster Keaton, on vacation with his troupe out in Bluffton.

The two boys play baseball and fish and become the best of friends over the course of the summer. Henry then goes about his life until the next summer, when they pick up where they left off the summer before.

Matt Phelan's illustrations are beautiful pastel watercolors and the book has received many starred reviews. It is a historically accurate book and does encourage the reader to find out more about vaudeville and Buster Keaton. But aside from the gorgeous artwork, to me, it was just "ok". Looking at the starred reviews, I must be missing something. Read the book for yourself and you decide!

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

My second book of the week that made me go, "hmm" was Lulu Walks the Dogs by Judith Viorst. Now, this is again a book that many people enjoyed. I thought it was just okay. The cover art and illustrations throughout the book, by Lane Smith, are adorable. But the story did not win me over. Maybe my so-so attitude is because the little girl is pretty rude and ungrateful and I am kinda over kids being so ungrateful these days. She does lighten up towards the end and she does become a better friend to her unwanted partner, Fleischman. 

So, in the end, maybe I really didn't dislike this book as much as I originally thought I did. Maybe I am the one that needs to learn to loosen up and enjoy the making of a true friendship between an unlikely twosome... 

Lulu Walks the Dogs, by Judith Viorst

A Night Divided

One of my all time favorite books is Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Since the first time I read it to my 5th graders - loved it! I finished a new book and think I have found a new favorite.

A Night Divided

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

A Night Divided begins in August of 1961. Tensions are rising between East and West Germany. Gerta, the main character, is the only daughter of the Lowes family where she has two brothers along with her parents. Mr. Lowe is part of the Resistance and the neighbor encourages "Papa" to go West to find an apartment and start their new life together. He takes his son Dominic and they go across the border for what was to be a day or two trip. When Gerta woke the next morning, a barbed wire fence had been erected. Their family was now split in two. 

This is an amazing story of strength and courage of a young East German girl trying to reunite her family. Your heart will race, you'll be proud and scared for Gerta. If you like historical fiction, you will **love** A Night Divided!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

I love attacking my "Summer Reading List"! One of our Battle of the Book Titles for the 2016-2017 school year will be:  Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstien. This is a book that everyone has told me is a must read. After finally getting the chance to read it - I agree! What a fun book.

Mr. Lemoncello reminds me of Gene Wilder as the original Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie from the 1970's. An eccentric billionaire decided to open a library in his hometown. The old library was torn down 12 years prior and Mr. Lemoncello was holding an essay contest using the prompt, "Why I'm Excited About the New Public Library".  Only 12 year olds could enter the contest, because for their entire lives, they have never had a public library in their town. 12 winners would be selected to spend the night in the new library before it opened to the general public.

It includes all of the characters you would expect in the world of Wonka. Including their own Veruca Salt, Charles Chiltington. The story is a fast paced game to see who can escape first. The winner will be rewarded with prizes and fame and glory!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library is entertaining and exciting and wonderfully incorporates many book titles and author's that will hopefully encourage a new generation to read wonderful books like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! among so many other titles I remember reading when I was younger. You will be entertained from start to finish!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

by Chris Grabenstein

The votes are in...

Well the votes are in. I am a pretty lazy blogger. I don't even think I can call myself a blogger. My blogging life is well - blogless.... ugh! The 2015-2016 school year was my oldest son's Senior year in high school - how was that possible??? And my baby boy's first year in Junior High!! Again, how??

I have a HUGE stack of books that I have wanted to read, but between Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, Community Theatre and cooking classes (and that is just the kids!) I have had no time to read! So now my summer reading stack is out of control!

Patting myself on the back, I have finished reading 3 books in the last 4 days and all of them were so good!

I know that I am still in last years titles, but Crenshaw was such a enjoyable read. As a teacher, there are probably students that are in a similar, if not the same, situation as the main character, Jackson, and his little sister Robin. Their parents were former music teachers that lost their jobs and were trying their best to raise two children. Not always succeeding at it. There was the time that the family had to live in the mini-van wondering if there was enough money for the next meal.

Crenshaw, a very large cat, became a friend to Jackson, showing up when Jackson was losing hope. Crenshaw is a heartwarming story about a boy and his on and off relationship with his imaginary friend. I believe this is a story to which many children can relate, even if they do not have an imaginary friend of their own.

Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate

Doll Bones

I promised to post about Doll Bones, by Holly Black as soon as I finished it! Well, I did finish it and it was better than I expected it to be! I am not one for spooky or scary books, I just don't like them. So the original cover of Doll Bones was a little spooky to me. (The cover has since been changed to be a lot less creepy).

This Newbery Honor Book starts out with three long-time friends, Zach, Poppy and Alice that play a game with dolls as characters they have created. When Zach can no longer play the game their friendship starts to change. But for years, Alice's family has had a bone china doll that seems to be communicating with the friends. They decide they have to find out the doll's story which starts them on a quest to find the grave of a little girl.

As I reached the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down. This is a story of how one adventure can strengthen a friendship and bring peace to a lost soul.

I highly recommend Doll Bones by Holly Black. 5 grade + - there is still a little spookiness to it.

Click here to see more about Doll Bones

A year, really???

It has officially been a YEAR since I have blogged anything on here! Where have I been? What have I been doing? Well, I wish I could tell you I have been skiing the Alps, scaling Mt. Everest, or traveling to see the 7 (or is it 8 now?) Wonders of the World... but, alas, I can not.

It has been a super crazy, fast moving, roller coaster of a year! Have I read a lot? Not as much as I would have liked, that is for sure. I am currently finishing up Doll Bones, by Holly Black. This title has been added to our list for 2015-2016 Battle of the Books. So far, about half way through, I am enjoying it. Can't wait to see where the storyline ends up! I promise, when I am done, I WILL BLOG ABOUT IT!!

I was recently at the Scholastic Reading Summit in Phoenix where Pam Munoz Ryan spoke. I have enjoyed her books, one of my favorites is definitely, Riding Freedom. What I didn't realize, is that she is a very entertaining and funny presenter. She talked about her upbringing in Bakersfield, CA, how she came to be a writer, and how she finds the topics on which she writes - sometimes by accident. I am an even bigger fan after hearing her story! Note the outdated 80's looking decor with the neon lights! The room was, like, totally awesome!

Riding Freedom Book Talk

Even though it has been so long, I hope that you will continue to come back and visit so that I may share wonderful books with you. Reading is an amazing gift we need to give to ourselves so that we will be able to turnaround and share it with someone else. Keep reading!