Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/22/16

August 22, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 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…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Diverse Books I Wish More People Would Read to Build Understanding and Empathy

Wednesday: National Geographic’s 125 Wacky Roadside Attractions

Thursday: Selfies in the Wild by C.L. Murphy

Friday: The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “How an Author Deals with Not Writing Something New” by Jordan Elizabeth, Author of The Escape from Witchwood Hollow

Last Week’s Journeys

This was a much better week for me. I think part of it was that the kids are there, so I feel like all of the work has a purpose. Also, I must be getting used to my schedule because I’m finding time to read.

The new Jedi Academy book is a great addition to the series. Though it is a companion and done by a different author (Jarrett Krosoczka vs. Jeffrey Brown) the feeling and humor of the original series is there yet it still has its own personality. This book will definitely not last long on the shelves!

I then read a very special present I received from a very special author. Oh guys, Pirasaurs! is as good as you think it’ll be. If you don’t have an opinion, check out our preview post, and you’ll predict that it is good–and it is! Preorder this one! (Review closer to its publication date.)

Upside Down Magic: Stick and Stones by the brilliant E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski is just as good as the first and will leave you excited for a third. I love this cast of characters, and I couldn’t help already talking about this one in class because I think it has such middle school relevance.

The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale is the first in a new series that takes place in a town where monsters run amok. The premise reminds me a bit of Bailey School Kids, but these are for a bit older kids, so they’ll make a perfect ladder up. (Review coming soon!)

Fantastic Beasts is worth reading just for the intro and Harry’s notes inside. I actually found the rest of it (classifications of all the magical creatures) a bit dry (it is supposed to be a textbook…), but the intro and Harry’s notes add a bit of fun.

I never know what to recommend to my graphic novel readers after they’ve read all of the Amulet series and all of Doug TenNapel’s books. This is it. HiLo is a book that so many of my kids are going to love. It is going to be passed around just like their other favorite GNs are.

Ricki

My heart feels full after reading Josh Funk’s Pirasaurs! I knew it would be fantastic (as all of his work is), but this exceeded even my highest expectations. This book is going to be an absolute favorite amongst kids. After I finished reading it to my toddler, he said, “AGAIN, PLEASE!” I can’t wait to review this book next week. In case you missed it, you can see our preview post for this great text! Like Kellee, I highly recommend pre-ordering this book!

Continuing with my project to read more Muslim/Islamic literature, I finished I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister by Amélie Sarn. This is a short book that hit me very hard. It begins with the death of the narrator’s sister, who was a year younger than her. The sisters are high schoolers living in France and share very different religious values. I won’t say more, but the story sent me reeling.

I simply adored this book (Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm). I know many of my fellow bloggers have raved about it, and I can see why. It is set in the mid-1970s, and the illustrations and dialogue are very, very funny, despite the heavy plot line that lingers in the background. This is a great text for classrooms. I am very happy it was on my #mustreadin2016 list!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

In my quest to read all of our SSYRA 6-8 books (our state reading list), I began listening to All Fall Down by Ally Carter. So far, I am still in the expedition, but I like Grace’s voice and guts, so I have a feeling I am going to like it.

I plan on reading some graphic novels this week because I have them in my house, and I want to get them into students’ hands, but I also plan on reading Wishapick: Tickety Boo and the Black Trunk which looks like The Spiderwick Chronicles (I’ll let you know!).

I also keep promising my friend that I’ll read Story Thieves, so I plan on picking it up before I move on to start reading my books for my NCTE and ALAN presentations and panels.

Ricki

I always see John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me referenced, and I know it used to be required reading in schools in the 60s. I am reading it right now and finding it to be very, very interesting.

I am halfway through Jo Knowles’ See You at Harry’s, and I love it. I am very glad I put this on my #mustreadin2016 list! I can see why everyone raved about it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Books that Have Been on our TBR Shelf Since Before we Started Blogging

Wednesday: National Geographic’s Real or Fake

Thursday: Dear Dragon by Josh Funk

Friday: Blog Tour with Author Guest Post, Review, and Giveaway!: Busy Builders, Busy Week!by Jean Reidy

Sunday: Author Guest Post

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Author Guest Post!: “How an Author Deals with Not Writing Something New” by Jordan Elizabeth, Author of The Escape from Witchwood Hollow

August 21, 2016 by Kellee

“How an Author Deals with Not Writing Something New”

I started telling stories as an infant. My maternal grandmother recorded them for me on cassettes and would later write them down. This went on until junior high (I had horrible handwriting) when I got my first computer. After that, no one could stop my writing flow. I whipped out stories like it was nobody’s business.

Short stories. Novels. The words flowed off my fingertips into the keyboard, messy handwriting thrown to the wind.

After high school, I set myself a goal. Every night, I would write at least one chapter. It is thanks to that goal that I now have 27 completed manuscripts and 9 published works. Nothing could stop my writing streak. I would lock myself into my bedroom and not come out – and not talk to anyone either – until I had completed that day’s chapter.

Okay, so nothing could stop my writing…except a pregnancy. Not having the energy to write, losing that writing zone, was a blow. I’d been sick before, but I’d always pushed myself to do at least a paragraph (it usually turned into my chapter). Suddenly, I had no will to write.

It wasn’t a lack of motivation exactly. It seemed to be a lot of things. Stress, fear, exhaustion. I would sit down at the computer, and when I pushed myself to do one paragraph, that’s all I got. One paragraph. One really crappy paragraph.

My characters reminded me of the characters in another of my books. The setting was like the setting in yet another book. I didn’t know where to take the story. Such roadblocks had never happened before, and of course that just added onto my already huge array of negative emotions.

A writer has to write.

Right?

Wrong. A writer has to be involved in books, but not necessarily writing. I became depressed, feeling as if my writing career was crumbling, and I took that proverbial step back to reflect. It sounds cliché, but it worked. For me, at this point in time, writing wasn’t working, but I had to stay involved. Since I wasn’t turning out new work, I could take a look at the old.

I called up one of my old manuscripts and gave it a fresh edit. It wasn’t as tiring as writing something new and I could fully immerse myself in the fantasy world. Pleased with this new edit, I let the story go into the world, and wouldn’t you know it found a home with a publisher? The book is KISTISHI ISLAND, due to be released October 27, 2016 from Clean Reads.

I am now in the middle of editing another work. Before, I would finish one and dive right into the next. It feels great to explore these old worlds and beloved old friends without the guilt of not writing something new. Yes, I am totally guilt free now about not writing and that is one less negative emotion on my plate.

People have told me being pregnant means I can eat anything I want without feeling guilty. I have no urge to pig out yet (maybe that comes later?). I’m changing that idea around into, “Being pregnant means I can edit all I want and not write without feeling guilty.” I’ll get back into writing later. For now, I have old manuscripts to keep me company.

About the Author: Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. With an eclectic job history behind her, she is now diving into the world of author. It happens to be her most favorite one yet. When she’s not creating art or searching for lost history in the woods, she’s updating her blog, Kissed by Literature. Her published works include ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, TREASURE DARKLY, BORN OF TREASURE, COGLING, RUNNERS & RIDERS, VICTORIAN, GOAT CHILDREN, and KISTISHI ISLAND.

About the Book: Everyone in Arnn – a small farming town with more legends than residents – knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?

Thank you Jordan for the reminder that writing isn’t only writing something new!

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The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas

August 19, 2016 by Kellee

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles
Author: Michelle Cuevas
Illustrator: Erin E. Stead
Published August 23rd, 2016 by Dial Books

Summary: The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles, who lives alone atop a hill, has a job of the utmost importance. It is his task to open any bottles found at sea and make sure that the messages are delivered. He loves his job, though he has always wished that, someday, one of the letters would be addressed to him. One day he opens a party invitation—but there’s no name attached. As he devotes himself to the mystery of the intended recipient, he ends up finding something even more special: the possibility of new friends.

Kellee’s Review: I love the premise of an Uncorker of Ocean Bottles even existing! There are so many notes (notes in a bottle, notes to Santa, etc.) that are out there floating around, so it is so much fun to imagine what happens to them. But the story is really about the Uncorker himself. What is it like to have a very important job yet be alone all the time? No matter how much you love what you do, is being alone ever going to be easy?

Erin Stead’s art always makes me want to pick up a book! Her use of woodblock prints, oil pastels, and pencil give a perfect feel for this story of a man who didn’t even know he was lonely. The illustrations give a wistful feel that fits Cuevas’s hopeful story.

Ricki’s Review: This is a book that readers will never forget. Years from now, I will sit in the sand on a beach and think of the Uncorker and all of his gentleness as a human being. His loneliness emanated from the pages, and I longed to go to him, to stay with him, and to become his friend. This would be a great book to discuss relationships and friendships with kids, and it also would be an excellent way to talk about loneliness. All people—kids included—feel loneliness, so a book like this will open up wonderful conversations about this emotion that is not discussed often.

The illustrations make this book stand out. I felt as if they were freshly drawn for my eyes only. I have a print hanging up in my son’s nursery, and I love looking at it every morning.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: As a read aloud in a classroom, The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles would be a perfect discussion starter on many levels. At the beginning of the book, students can guess what they think some of the bottle say when all they are told is that they are “dipped in sadness” or “very old” or “made people quite happy.” The conversation can continue about how they would feel living alone, even if they were doing something important and something they loved. Then they can make predictions about the message that is revealed then analyze how it changes the Uncorkers life.

Discussion Questions: What do you think the messages say?; What would you write as a message in a bottle if you were going to write one?; What do you think the Uncorker is going to do with the unaddressed message?; Would you like living alone?

Flagged Passages: “While the Uncorker of Ocean Bottles loved his job, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever receive a letter. Truth be told, each time he opened a bottle, a part of him hoped to see his own name winking from the top of the page.

But then he remembered that this was about as likely as finding a mermaid’s toenail on the beach. For he had no name. He had no friends. He stank of seaweed and salt and fishermen’s feet. No one would ever write him a letter.”

Read This If You Loved: Little Tree by Loren Long, Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Recommended For:

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Top Ten Tuesday: Diverse Books I Wish More People Would Read to Build Understanding and Empathy

August 16, 2016 by Kellee

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Diverse Books I Wish More People Would Read to Build Understanding and Empathy

Kellee

One of the things this election has made me think about is the superiority that so many feel about themselves versus others. I wish they would pick up some of these books to help them build empathy for their fellow man. These books push the reader outside of their comfort zone and helps us see the world from a different point of view. I tried to pick books that focused on different diverse populations and included picture, middle grade, and young adult books. And yes, I did more than 10 🙂

How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon

Inspired by Trayvon Martin’s murder, Magoon looks at a young black boy’s murder from different points of view.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

After an incident of police brutality, one boy must figure out how to stay strong and another must figure out how to question everything he knows.

A Piece of Home by Jeri Watts

What is it like to move to a brand new country with a brand new language? Tough but so many immigrants do it for a hope of a better future.

Tía Isa Wants a Car by Meg Medina

While still saving to help more of their family immigrate to the U.S., Tía Isa works twice as hard to also buy something so many of us take for granted: a car.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

What is it like to grow up surrounded by war? To have to walk 2 hours for water? To want to be anywhere but the country that you live in?

Kiki and Jacques by Susan Ross

An introduction to refugees from a middle school boy’s point of view. The reader also gets to learn about the refugees and their lives and situations along with Jacques which makes it so students with no prior knowledge can live Kiki and Jacques story with them.

Children Growing Up with War by Jenny Matthews

So many of us live in a privilege that includes peace, shelter, safety, and other basic needs. This is not so for so much of the world, and children grow up surrounded by violence all over the world. What is their life like?

The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman

This book looks at two very different girls but both who need to be read about: KC has a learning disability and Nawra is a refugee in Darfur.

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence by Geoffrey Canada

A gritty, truthful narrative about the evolution of violence.

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Grayson will help so many readers learn about the struggle of being transgender.

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez

What happens if you want to be normal, but you know that you aren’t? Is being gay a choice you can make?

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

Although a story of a crayon, it looks at identity and labels. Not everyone has to be what they are labeled or are told to be. Let people shine as they truly are.

My Friend Maggie by Hanna E. Harrison

Maggie is a big overweight and Veronica is not very nice to her. Paula struggles with the want to be popular or be friends with an amazing person who isn’t as popular. This story is an anthropomorphic story of what can happen on any playground in America.

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Gabi’s story hits on so many topics (pregnancy, abortion, meth, family, religion, ethnicity, school, homosexuality, sex, death, poetry, college, rape, and gender expectations, just to name a few), but they are all done with grace and understanding.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Would you ever sell your child into prostitution for food? That is a question we may never have to face, but some families will.

Which diverse books did you wish more people read to help build understanding and empathy?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/15/16

August 15, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Monday PM: Special Announcement!: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely Wins the 2016 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award | Finalists: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Nevin, Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman, Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez, and Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Tuesday: What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur A. Levine

Wednesday: Picture Books 10 for 10: Ten Must-Have Picture Books for the Secondary Classroom

Thursday: The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner

Friday: Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “The Pressure to Rhyme” by Tammi Sauer, Author of Mary Had a Little Glam

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee

Well, this week back has been… a week. The kids start on Monday, so I know that will remind me why I go through all of this stress, but right now it seems excessive. I preface with this because, well, I didn’t finish anything this week. I’ll share below what I am reading.

Ricki

I absolutely loved Kids of Appetite by David Arnold and look forward to writing the full review. As I said in a previous post, it is a bit like The Outsiders, but the crew is older. Also, it has some mystery to it. This one comes out in September, and I suspect we will be hearing about it a lot. I think it will be a favorite for readers.

I absolutely loved Knockout Games by G. Neri. I put it on my #mustreadin2016 list because I never got around to reading it. I never knew what the knockout games were until I read this book, and I feel like I was in the dark. Someone that I knew was a victim of the knockout game, and this made me want to learn more about it. G. Neri’s writing is very engaging—I felt physically ill when I listened to some of the sections. I listened to the audio, which I recommend, but I also think this would be great to read in print form, too.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee

Now that I am back at school, I can listen to audiobooks on a regular basis now–yay! The first one I chose was Upside Down Magic: Sticks and Stones because I loved the first audiobook, and I’ve been waiting to listen to the second. I’m almost done, and I find it as thought-provoking yet funny as the first.

When I read The Cursed Child, I realized I hadn’t read a lot of Rowling’s other stories like Fantastic Beasts, Quidditch, and her Pottermore writing, so I decided I need to fix that. I only haven’t finished this because of time because if I had the time, I would have devoured this humorous Rowling text.

After I finish Fantastic Beasts and before I move onto Quidditch, I am going to read Bruce Hale’s newest in preparation for a future review. I love Hale’s work, so I am sure I’ll enjoy this one.

Ricki

I have been focusing some future research on Muslim/Islamic literature, and I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister by Amélie Sarn will be my fifth book that I read to prepare for the research. So far, I really enjoy it. It’s about two sisters living in France who share very different religious values. We learn from the very beginning that one of the sisters is dead. I’ll be finished with this one next week because it is short, and I am deeply engaged!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday: Diverse Books I Wish More People Would Read to Build Understanding and Empathy

Wednesday: National Geographic’s 125 Wacky Roadside Attractions

Thursday: Selfies in the Wild by C.L. Murphy

Friday: The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas

Sunday: Author Guest Post

So, what are you reading?

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Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

August 12, 2016 by Kellee

Still a Work in Progress
Author: Jo Knowles
Published August 2nd, 2016 by Candlewick Press

Summary: In a return to middle-grade fiction, master of perspectives Jo Knowles depicts a younger sibling struggling to maintain his everyday life while coping with his sister’s secret struggle.

Noah is just trying to make it through seventh grade. The girls are confusing, the homework is boring, and even his friends are starting to bug him. Not to mention that his older sister, Emma, has been acting pretty strange, even though Noah thought she’d been doing better ever since the Thing They Don’t Talk About. The only place he really feels at peace is in art class, with a block of clay in his hands. As it becomes clear through Emma’s ever-stricter food rules and regulations that she’s not really doing better at all, the normal seventh-grade year Noah was hoping for begins to seem pretty unattainable. In an affecting and realistic novel with bright spots of humor, Jo Knowles captures the complexities of navigating middle school while feeling helpless in the face of a family crisis.

Review: What I am always amazed by when I read a book by Jo Knowles is her ability to tell the truth about our world, and this book once again fits this description. Jo has a way of making her characters ones that are so real that you can imagine them walking into a school and know exactly which kids they’d hang out with. Noah and his friends could definitely be middle school students at my school. Her stories always seem to include a bit of humor (see: hairless cat on the cover) while never taking away from the seriousness of the book’s topic. The emotions, specifically pain or sadness, she portrays through her characters radiates out of the pages, so the reader can feel it.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This is an important book to have available for students to read. Although the main story is about Noah fitting into middle school, it is also about dealing with pain and anger and sadness and still having to live. This book needs to be in classroom libraries and should be booktalked so students are aware of its brilliance.

Discussion Questions: What makes the art room such a special place for Noah?; Why does Noah and his family not talk about Emma’s problems? Did not talking about it end up being hurtful or helpful?; Noah’s school is a bit different than traditional schools. How does his school differ from yours?; What does the title mean in reference to Noah? Emma? Their family? Other characters?; How did Emma’s experience with Lord of the Flies spiral out of control?

Flagged Passages: “Community meetings happen once a week. Everyone in the school has to go, including the teachers. The Community Room used to be the music room, but our town had budget cuts and they cut the music program. The wars are painted green, and old couches donated by various families line the walls so that if we’re all sitting on them, we form a circle/square. The problem is that there are more students than seats on couches, so if you get to a Community Meeting late, you’re stuck sitting on a beanbag or on the floor in front of the couch sitters. The beanbags are mysteriously sticky and smell like dirty sheets. The floor is cold and kind of gross because it doesn’t get washed very much. In either case, you have to sit in front of the people on the couch which means you are close to their feet, which means, depending on who you end up in front of, you are probably going to have a miserable hours.” (p. 9-10)

“‘Sara is new to vaganism,’ Emma explains.

‘Is your family vegan, too?’ my mom asks.

‘No, just me. My parents are all stressed-out about it. They think I’m going to become anemic or something.’

Emma sighs dramatically, as if to say, So typical.

My mom clears her throat uncomfortably. ‘We were worried about Emma, too. But she’s very aware of her dietary needs. Right, Emma?’

‘Kind of hard not to be with you and Dad obsessing about everything I eat,’ Emma says sarcastically.

My mom doesn’t answer, just grips the steering wheel tighter. Sara shifts in her seat awkwardly, probably remember the time a few years ago that no one talks about. Even though she and Emma weren’t good friends then, everyone know about the Thing That Happened.” (p. 29-30)

Read This If You Loved: Perfect by Natasha Friend, Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, Zack Delacruz by Jeff Anderson

Recommended For:

Picture Book Ten for Ten 2016: Ten Must-Have Picture Books for the Secondary Classroom

August 10, 2016 by Kellee

In place of our weekly Top Ten Tuesday, we are instead so excited to join Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek for their annual August 10th Picture Books 10 for 10 event. The event features educators, librarians, parents, and other picture book lovers sharing their favorite ten picture books. Today, we are going to share our favorite 10 picture books for use in our secondary classrooms.

Today’s Topic: Ten Must-Have Picture Books for the Secondary Classroom

Kellee

I wanted to share some picture books I used for the regular precept activity in my classroom with my middle schoolers. On my original post, I listed Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, Red by Michael Hall, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, and Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña; however, here are others that I added during the rest of the year or will add this upcoming year:

1. Normal Norman by Tara Lazar

When I reviewed this book, the first thing I thought of was using it for a precept because the theme of novel is so relevant to middle schoolers. They all want to be normal when really it is the extraordinary that should be striving for!

2. The Knowing Book by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

The Knowing Book is a book that makes the reader think about the world around them and think about their priorities, choices, identity, and nature.

3. Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate

I used Ivan this year in a different individualized picture book activity, but the conversations that came about during that activity made me realize that the book needs to be a whole-group read aloud so we can discuss empathy for all living things.

4. Ada Twist, Scientist and Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
and Iggy Peck, Architect (though I haven’t read it yet)

I love these texts that focus on going for your dreams, overcoming obstacles, and finding your passion. Beaty’s writing is rhythmic and imaginative, and Roberts’s illustrations are so detailed and beautiful.

5. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

Freedom Summer is such an accessible introduction to the Civil Rights Movement for students who are just learning about the civil unrest of the past and in the middle of racial tension currently. This book will start discussions and make students think. Luckily, Deborah Wiles helps us out a ton by sharing so many resources with us on her Pinterest board https://www.pinterest.com/debbiewiles/ and her website http://deborahwiles.com/site/resources-for-educators/.

Ricki

1. Red by Michael Hall

I use this picture book to talk about theme. I love reading this book to secondary students (or preservice teachers) and then asking them what they thought the book was “really” about. They are always surprised that their peers have different interpretations than they do. It’s a fabulous book with a beautiful message.

2. Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett (I linked to Kellee’s Review of the book)

This is one of my favorite activities to do with students of all ages (elementary school through college!). You can easily download the Birthday Bunny book from the internet. I like this idea, but I do the activity a bit differently. I put the students into groups of five and purchase five copies of The Poky Little Puppy. The story is fairly flat, and it is a classic. We talk about why this might be. Then, I let them go at it—they create their own versions (each group writes directly in the five books I purchased). Each group shares with the class, and they are stunned at what we come up with. This gives us opportunities to talk about all kinds of literary goodness. 🙂

3. Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka

My advisor, Wendy Glenn, introduced this book to me during our Methods class, and I still use it many years later (along with her activity!). She gave us a slip of paper with all of the words from this book but with the punctuation removed. We were instructed to find a partner and together, add punctuation and perform a skit for the class. It taught us the power of punctuation! I still use this activity with pre-service teachers and loved doing it with my high schoolers.

4. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Portfolio Edition) by Chris Van Allsburg

I took this idea from Caitlin Hoffman, a teacher in my department who always had clever ideas. (I am not sure if this idea was her own, but it is a clever one.) I bought the portfolio edition of this book, but it can also be purchased in picture book form. I hang the pictures around my classroom and tell my students to tell the rest of the story. Each picture in this book begs to be elaborated into a story.

5. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

I love reading this book to my students to kick off banned books week. Most of them are stunned that it might even be banned because it is based on a true story. Following the reading and discussion, I put them into groups and give each group a different banned book, and we continue our conversation and sharing.

Which books do you think are a must-have for the classroom?

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