Pages

Monday, December 19, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading.  For more information and to find out what other bloggers are reading check out the host blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.


What I Read This Week...




A Bike Like Sergio's by Maribeth Boelts

While at the store, Ruben picks up money that a lady has dropped. When he gets home, he discovers that it is much more than he thought. Ruben really wants a new bike, but he also wonders about the lady who dropped the money. This is a story that shows the power of doing the right thing. It would also be a great story for discussing empathy. This is a sweet story with a great lesson.




Goldie Rules the School (Goldie Blox) by Stacy McAnulty

Goldie builds things. Unfortunately, this sometimes causes problems such as when she blew the roof off her school. Goldie feels she doesn't fit in at her new school so she devises a plan to rebuild her old school. Goldie is a great character - sweet, funny, determined, creative. This is a short chapter book with great characters, but also an interesting story. I'll recommend this one to a few of my third graders.     



The Uncommoner's #1: The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

Ivy and her brother, Seb, find themselves in a magical world after their grandmother is rushed to the hospital. They become involved in a mystery to figure out the connection their grandmother has to this world and soon find themselves trying to save their parents. In this magical world, uncommon objects have unusual magical qualities. This book is quite fantastical, some parts a bit dark, but lots of adventure. 



Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson

Zack tries to go unnoticed at his school, where standing out often leads to trouble or being the target of bullying. When Zack speaks out on behalf of a classmate, he is put in charge of the sixth grade fundraiser. Zack's story is interesting and adventurous, but Zack is also funny and relatable. This book shows that being a kid isn't always easy, but it is possible to work through the problems that arise with classmates and school. 

Monday, December 5, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading.  For more information and to find out what other bloggers are reading check out the host blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

What I Read This Week

Samson in the Snow by Philip Stead

Samson waits quietly with his flowers, in the sun, for a friend. A little red bird comes by and asks Samson for some of his dandelions to give to a friend. When the sunny day turns into one filled with snow, Samson is worried about the little bird and starts off on a journey to find him. Samson discovers he is not the only one searching for someone and, in the end, he finds friendship and happiness. This is a warm, quiet story with a lovely message about thoughtfulness. Samson, a wooly mammoth, is quite sweet. This book would be a useful one to introduce the concept of empathy.

Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! The Good for Nothing Button! by Mo Willems and Charise Mercicle Harper

I received an ARC of this book at NCTE last month. This is another humorous story in the style of Willems's Elephant and Piggie books. In this story, Yellow Bird has a button that does nothing and shows it to Red Bird and Blue Bird. They take turns pressing the button and find out it actually does something when it causes them to feel different emotions such as surprise, anger, and happiness. Like the other books in this series, the characters are silly, funny, and sweet. 

Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Synder

This early chapter book includes four stories about two brothers, Charlie and Mouse. Each story is a simple, day-in-the-life event of the brothers that captures the joy of childhood and the bond between brothers. The brothers are quite adorable. I think early readers will love Charlie and Mouse as much as they do characters in other favorite books, such as Frog and Toad and Little Bear

Word of Mouse by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

Isaiah escapes from the lab where he has lived against his will his entire life, but his ninety-six siblings were not as lucky to find freedom. Isaiah is not an ordinary mouse. For one thing, he is blue. He also has the ability to communicate with humans. Isaiah feels alone without his family until he meets a mischief of mice who welcome him into their home. Isaiah befriends a girl who also struggles with being different. With the help of the girl and his new mice family, Isaiah hatches a plan to set his siblings free from the lab. This story was an interesting tale about being different and having courage. There were words of wisdom, from Isaiah, at the beginning of each chapter that hinted about the events to come, such as, "All of us are given gifts. How we use them is up to us." and "Things turn out best for the mice who make the best out of the way things turn out." This story has adventure and a quick pace and an unlikely hero who readers can admire and learn from.