Kellee – Page 213 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/30/15

November 30, 2015 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.

CONGRATULATIONS

Sui G.

for winning A Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Ten Fictional Families We’d Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner

Wednesday: Where’s Will?: Find Shakespeare Hidden in his Plays by Tilly and Anna Claybourne

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday: The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman, Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Spurring Ideas with Creative Teamwork” by Jack Keely, author of The Whistlebrass Horror

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Unfortunately, my week ended up not being what was planned. I received some sad news about a sick family member as soon as I got to Minneapolis for NCTE/ALAN, so I turned around to come home right away to be with my family and to help take care of my son.

I was able to get a good amount of reading done during these couple of weeks though. First, I caught up on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by reading Hard Luck, Long Haul, and Old School. I was a bit surprised at these titles because I actually didn’t completely dislike Greg throughout all of them. I think if Greg isn’t able to be mean to Rowley, Greg doesn’t bother me as much.

I also read a couple of graphic novels that were very different but both good. First was Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova which is going to be a big hit in my classroom. It is a wonderful middle school story. Second was Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson which is an odd science fiction adventure.

Although Trent and I didn’t read many picture books while we were staying with Jim’s family because we didn’t pack many and we were in a hotel, but we made it up when we were home. He even let me read a new one to him: The Diggers by Margaret Wise Brown. I overall liked it, but it actually felt like two different books with the first half talking about things that dig and the second half being the journey of a train tunnel being built. Trent liked it though!

Finally, I finished five novels. First, I finished listening to The Buccaneers’ Code by Caroline Carlson, the third book in The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. I love this series, and this one didn’t disappoint! Hilary Westfield is one of my favorite female protagonists. Then, I finished Tyrell, Bronxwood, and Kendra by Coe Booth. I’d actually read Bronxwood in the past, but didn’t truly enjoy it. Now I know it is because it means so much more if you read Tyrell first. Kendra is a companion to the two Tyrell books and is very different; however, I am happy I read all three. I am so glad that Ricki recommended Tyrell to me, and I put it on my #mustread list. Finally, I read The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. This book has been on my TBR list since it came out, and a few weeks ago I saw it on someone’s IMWAYR, and I decided that it would be one of the next books I read. It is such a magical book! Kate DiCamillo has such a way with words!

Ricki: I finished The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds. It was wonderful! It is a quiet book that packs a good, solid punch. I will be reading more books by Jason Reynolds. While at NCTE/ALAN, I started about fifteen books, and I am feeling a bit spastic. There are so many good books to read! I am so, so glad that Kellee enjoyed Tyrell. Ah!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I hope to get through some more of my #mustread books during December! I plan on readinging Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles first. I also have Hook’s Revenge #2 to read.

Ricki: I am really enjoying Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. The book features a character who is blind and a runner. I like the intersection of disability and sports, and it is really making me think. I got this ARC from the Little, Brown booth, and it intrigued me.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday cover

Tuesday: Ten ALAN Books Ricki is Excited About

Wednesday: Ten ALAN Book Kellee is Excited About

Thursday: Ricki’s NCTE/ALAN Reflection

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Nurturing Nature in the Classroom” by Rebecca Bielawski, Author of the Mummy Nature series

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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A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery: The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman, Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

November 27, 2015 by Kellee

A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery: The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake
Author: Robin Newman
Illustrator: Deborah Zemke
Published May 12th, 2015 by Creston Books

Goodreads Summary: When food goes missing on Ed’s farm, Detectives Wilcox and Griswold do what it takes to track down the thieves. In this case, Miss Rabbit’s carrot cake has disappeared. Has it been stolen? Or eaten? Or both? Who dunnit?

“Readers ready for chapter books will solve the crime and then be surprised by the twist at the end. Here’s hoping for more hard-boiled detecting from Wilcox and Griswold!”
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

My Review: This book starts with a letter to the reader about the two detectives who will be leading the case, and I automatically thought of Dragnet as soon as I read it, and that was the voice I heard all the way through the book which made it even more fun to read! I love how this book was crafted: set up like a police file with times of interviews, suspects, and clues throughout. The detectives are also quite humorous and the ending is just surprising enough though some students may be able to predict it if they follow the clues.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The Case of the Missing Carrot is a perfect read aloud to practice inferring and prediction as students try to figure out what is going on at the farm. Students can keep track of clues and characters (suspects), and the book also gives opportunities to discuss sequence, vocabulary, dialogue, point of view, and voice. The text is just so much fun to read, but can also be a great discussion starter/exemplar for so many language arts topics.

Discussion Questions: (Thoughout the book) What clues did this section give us? Who is a new suspect? Who is no longer a suspect? How has your prediction changed? What is your prediction now?

We Flagged:

“Captain, stop the car!” I shouted. “There’s something up ahead. It’s orange.”

The captain grabbed his magnifying glass and tweezers. He picked up the object.

“A carrot!” I said.

I ran back to the squad car to get the crime scene photos.

“This carrot matches the ones we found in Miss Rabbit’s kitchen. We’re onto something.”

The captain twitched his tail furiously. (p. 19)

Read This If You Loved: Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo, The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo, Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo, Lulu series by Judith Viorst

Recommended For:

*Thank you to Creston Books for providing copies for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/23/15

November 23, 2015 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

Tuesday: Recent Book Quotes We’ve Loved

Wednesday: Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Friday: Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

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

Last Week’s Journeys and This Week’s Expeditions

We are currently at the NCTE convention and ALAN Workshop (yahoo!). We hope to see some of you there! Because we will be presenting and attending many meetings, we are, unfortunately, out of commission this week. We can’t wait to return and read about all of the books you are reading. Next week, we will share all of the gems we receive and learn about at the convention and workshop! Have a happy reading week!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten fictional families we’d invite to Thanksgiving dinner

Wednesday: Where’s Will?: Find Shakespeare Hidden in his Plays by Tilly and Anna Claybourne

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday: The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman, Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Jack Keely, author of The Whistlebrass Horror

So, what are you reading?

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Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

November 22, 2015 by Kellee

Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove

#BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

The inspiration for my book, #BabyLove: My Social Life came from my experiences of using many devices, apps, and social media with my child. After the birth of my daughter Lily, I became a jubilant mother. I wanted everyone to meet her and get to know her especially my immediate family and friends.

There was just one tiny problem– my husband, and I lived out of state, quite a distance away from most of our closest family and friends. So like many other new parents and families in today’s society, we took to our phones– photographing and creating videos of our baby girl. We shared some of these items through social media, texting, emailing, and anything else that kept us connected with our loved ones.

We wanted our family and friends who were interested in getting to know Lily to be kept updated on her progress. Along with updating our social network feeds, we found family photo sharing options with more privacy and regularly made FaceTime calls.

These modern tools coupled with quite a few family trips home have been a big help in establishing close connections for Lily. As she grew out of infancy into toddlerhood, she began recognizing faces and voices as they popped up on our phones and in person. This advancement and connection made my husband, and me relieved.

I know that these tools fall far from perfect or efficient. So I take advantage of the positive aspects of these devices, apps, and social media sites along with the necessary security measures to enjoy their benefits.

Even though the premise of #BabyLove: My Social Life is cute and humorous the story could be used to introduce more thought provoking discussions or education on the topics of social media, technology, and parenting in today’s modern world.

I have provided some ideas below of topics that could be used in a parenting group, class, or classroom discussions with students.

Parenting Topics

Relevant apps that aid in parenting and education.
Put down the phone– parents as technology role models.
Technology and social media safety.
How to establish on-line privacy and setting parental controls.

Classroom Topics

Provide guidelines for using technology and social media safely.
Discuss the positive and negative aspects of technology and social media.
Relevant educational apps.

About the Book: “Click.” “Tap.” Tag and Post. An adored baby tells a modern tale about life in today’s digital world. #BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

“A charming modernization of the traditional bedtime tale.”- Reviewed by Kirkus

“#BabyLove: My Social Life, is a clever and entertaining look at raising children in the age of social media… The author’s story flows beautifully, and her illustrations are brightly colored, cheerful and humorous… Dehghanpisheh’s wry and subtle humor is evident throughout this story that will entertain adults as well as the children they share the book with. #BabyLove: My Social Life is highly recommended for tech-savvy parents and their babies.” – Reviewed by Readers’ Favorite

“#BabyLove offers a hipster view of contemporary parenting. Beneath the story of technological trendiness, however, lies a more enduring portrait of nurture and joy.” – Reviewed by Foreword Clarion Reviews

#BabyLove was published in July 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

About The Author: Corine Dehghanpisheh is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her inspirations for writing and illustrating come from everyday life.

She was a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next Generation Indie Author Finalist for her debut children’s book Can We Play Again?, which was published in March 2012. Her inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NYC. Corine published her second children’s book, Buddy’s Dream, in November 2013, and her third children’s book, #BabyLove: My Social Life, in July 2015.

When Corine is not busy being creative, she is most likely having fun taking pictures of her family. Corine lives in Manhattan, NY with her husband and new baby.

Readers can connect with Corine on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to http://www.booksbycorined.com/

Thank you Corine Dehghanpisheh for introducing us to picture books 2.0,

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Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

November 20, 2015 by Kellee

Interstellar Cinderella
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Meg Hunt
Published May 5th, 2015 by Chronicle Books

Goodreads Summary:

Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.

With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball–but when the prince’s ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.

My Review: I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, and I am an even bigger fan of fairy tale retellings that take away the “whoa is me” aspect of the female protagonist. Interstellar Cinderella does just that. Deborah Underwood has given us a Cinderella that we all would aspire to be. She can fix rockets, has robots, and even is quite sensible when it comes to the prince. I am also very impressed with the rhyming of the text. It does not seemed forced and is actually quite humorous at times.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Interstellar Cinderella would be a great addition to a fairy tale unit. I can picture a jigsaw/lit circle of sorts where each group reads an original fairy tale and a picture book retelling the fairy tale then the group discusses how the story was changed, the themes of both stories, compare/contrast the characters and other narrative elements, and then share with the class their analysis. Interstellar Cinderella is also a great example of a science fiction picture book for a genre lesson.

Discussion Questions: How is this Cinderella different than other Cinderellas?; Do you think the book ended with a “happily ever after”?; How does Cinderella save herself?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale, Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, Fairy Tale Comics edited by Chris Duffy, Princeless by Jeremy Whitely

Recommended For:

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

November 18, 2015 by Kellee

Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure
Author: Linda Ashman
Illustrator: Kim Smith
Published October 6th, 2015 by Sterling Children’s Books

Summary:

Pack up the pooches and load the van.
We need to leave by eight!
There’s so much to bring.
Do we have everything?
Come on, we can’t be late!

The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family: Come to our house for the holidays—and bring your favorite pie!Off everyone goes, driving down snowy roads, riding the train, boarding a plane . . . even sailing along in a hot-air balloon. As each family faces an obstacle that delays their trip, they learn that sometimes the most old-fashioned form of transportation works best . . . NEIGH!

About the Author: Linda Ashman has written more than 20 children’s books, including Creaky Old House; Stella, Unleashed; No Dogs Allowed!, and TheTwelve Days of Christmas in Colorado (all Sterling). She lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Visit Linda online at lindaashman.com.

About the Illustrator: Kim Smith has a fun and vibrant extended family, perfect as inspiration for this book. This is the fourth children’s book she has illustrated, along with A Ticket Around the World (Owlkids Books), The Raven and the Loon (Inhabit Media), and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Canada (Sterling, NYP). Kim lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, Eric, and their one-eyed goldfish named Goulash.

Kellee’s Review: Holidays are a great time to celebrate spending time with families, and Over the River & Through the Wood highlights the highs and lows of traveling to see family for the holidays. Told in the same rhythm as the original song, the book has been modernized to include families coming from all different places to go visit family. I also loved the different types of families that were represented in the book. It shows real families and how they are all so different.

Ricki’s Review: This text emanates warmth. I pulled my little guy onto my lap, and we cuddled as we read it together. I enjoyed the sense of adventure, and I might read this book before we go on a big family trip. While my son is only two, I had a nice time discussing what the family was doing and how our family holidays are similar and different. As a teacher I might include this with other holiday books to give a rich sense of different customs and practices of holidays.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Since the book is written to match the original song, it’d be fun to have students write their own version of the song that fits their experiences at the holidays. Or, they might take another song (holiday or not) and adjust the words to fit their culture/customs/experiences.

Discussion Questions: How do different families’ experiences differ during the holidays in the book? In real life?; What different types of families are in the book? In real life?; What differences are there between the original song and the book?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Other versions of Over the River and Through the Wood including those by Lydia Maria Francis Child or John Steven Gurney

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Sterling for providing copies for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/16/15

November 16, 2015 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

Tuesday: Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations We’re Looking Forward To

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

Thursday: A Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong

Friday: Kellee’s ALAN Panel: Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats with Michael Buckley, Roland Smith, and C. Taylor-Butler

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “My Son’s Teacher’s Approach to Reading” by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Stinkville

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I finished rereading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I think it may have been even better rereading it this time. I’d already read it a handful of times, but it has been about a year since the last read, so I remembered the story, but had forgotten some of the beautiful language.

Ricki: This week, I finished Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I thought it was highly entertaining. I am not hugely into puzzle/riddle/mystery books, but the narrator’s voice is incredible, so I found it to be deserving of the hype it has received.

But wow, wow, wow. I also finished More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera. If you’ve read this book, I want to talk about it with you! I am so glad I convinced my book club to read it this month. (We meet tonight!) It made me feel so many emotions! I highly recommend it.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am still listening to the third book in The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. I’m still loving Hilary’s story! I also have two new graphic novels I want to read this week: Awkward and Space Dumplins. Finally, I want to catch up on reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books since I am three behind. My students want to talk to me about them, so I told them I would catch up. I cannot believe NCTE/ALAN is this upcoming week, so I am not sure how much reading time I’ll have though!

Ricki: I randomly just started listening to The Martian by Andy Weir. I don’t usually listen to or read this many adult books in a row, but after Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (last week) and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore this week, I am having faith in adult books. Other than The Martian,

I am halfway through The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds. It is excellent, but I keep crying! The mark of a great writer.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Quotes I Loved From Books We’ve Read In The Past Year Or So

Wednesday: Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Friday: Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

So, what are you reading?

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