Kellee – Page 215 – Unleashing Readers

The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere

December 13, 2015December 9, 2015 by Kellee

The Princess Games
Author: Danai Kadzere
Published July 27th, 2015 by Lands Atlantic Publishing

Summary: King Winkle and Queen Periwinkle have a problem. They need a princess, and they need her fast. With the upcoming peace-keeping marriage between Prince Linus of Branninia and the princess of the fair Kingdom of Hoggenbottom, it’s a bit risky to admit they don’t have a princess.

Instead, they decide to host The Princess Games. Soon enough, the fairest maidens of the land are gathered in front of the castle, fairy-godmothers in tow! With a goofy king, an obsessive compulsive advisor, and a fairy godmother whose spells do whatever they want, these games are about to get interesting.

Even if Emma and her clumsy Fairy Louise can manage to do well in the competition, she’ll have to get past the expert spells of Fairy Faye and the beauty of Laralyn, who is intent on pleasing her ambitious mother at any cost.

My Review: What a fun fractured fairy tale! I love the humor! It really does include some laugh-out-loud moments. The book actually reminds me a bit of Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, but The Princess Games is more light-hearted.

I think what makes this book work the best is the different voices throughout. Each chapter changes point of view which gives a different insight to the games as they are going on. This helps with characterization especially because each character has such a distinctive voice.

One of my only criticisms is that I actually wish it was a bit longer! I would have loved to have some of the scenes be longer than they were and to have really gotten to know some of the secondary characters.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I think this book is a wonderful example of voice. I would have students look at chapters written from different character’s points of view and have them look for how the author crafted their sections to build the character’s voice. When you look, you can find different vocabulary choices, different sentence patterns, different focuses, and different sense of humor.

Discussion Questions: Which princess do you think the royal couple will choose?; Why does Faye and Laralyn not like Emma and Louise?; How would the tone and voice have been different if the book had been written in first person?; What is the theme of the novel?

We Flagged: “Emma rued that last scone, stuffed with clotted cream and spiced rosehip jam, as the carriage bumped aong the uneven country road. ‘Ohhhhh,’ she groaned, clutching her stomach.

Fairy Faye looked at Laralyn, deigning to acknowledge Emma only to say, ‘And that, Laralyn, is why princesses eat daintily. Particularly on long journeys.'” (p. 45)

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Loved: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, The League of Princes series by Christopher Healy, Upon a Marigold series by Jean Ferris

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Danai for providing a copy for review!!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/7/15

December 7, 2015December 7, 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.

Last Week’s Posts

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

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Since I had that really great week of reading during Thanksgiving Break, I realized how much I had missed reading often, so I have been trying to fit it into my days more often than I had over the last few months, and I am so enjoying it! I also realized that I read so much more when my book is on my phone. This allows me to read anywhere I am and also read in bed even if my husband is asleep!

This week I read Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles (finally!). Now, if any of you know Jo, she is one of the nicest people I have ever met, so it blows my mind every time I read one of her books that are filled to the brim with such dark truths about being a teenager. This book was no exception. And it revolves around flipping the bird. Jo Knowles is brilliant.

I also read two highly recommended nonfiction picture books: Tricky Vic by Greg Pizzoli and Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews. I loved them both! I hope to write official reviews on both of them before my library ebooks expire, so I can share them with you all. They are very different, but both so good.

Ricki: I feel horridly behind on life. I spent all of my energy preparing my son’s birthday party yesterday, and I have not finished any books! Some weeks, I feel like I can manage everything, and other weeks, I have to put mommyhood first. The end of the semester is at the end of this week, so my pleasure reading fell by the wayside. I have been a very absent blogger. Kellee is going to be mad at me for writing this, but I AM SORRY!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon, and it has just sucked me in. I’d be reading right now instead of blogging, but my phone is dead from me reading it too much. After How It Went Down, I plan on reading another book from my #mustread list, The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz then either Knockout Games by G. Neri, The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhard, or The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith–any votes?

Ricki: Next week, I hope to have two books complete: The Martian by Andy Weir and Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom. I have a lot to say about both, but I am going to wait until I finish them before I comment.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Wednesday: The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere

Thursday: Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (1-2 years)

Friday: A Carnival of Cats by Charles Ghigna

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Where Are You From? Honing Research And Evaluation Skills With A Family Tree Project” by Lissa Johnston, Author of The Dala Horse

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

December 23, 2015December 6, 2015 by Kellee

“Nurturing Nature in the Classroom”

If you are having trouble getting your class out and into nature, there are a hundred ways you can get nature into your class. If you want your kids to run wild with nature-based crafts and projects, but your imagination feels as dried up as an autumn leaf, don’t despair – On the wonderful world wide web you can discover all the inspiration you need. I especially recommend Pinterest boards and Google+ communities to look for specific ideas suited to your group’s age and other circumstances.

Here are a few tips for adapting nature projects and nature crafts that you might find, to your own classroom or home school environment.

Adapt ideas to your local area e.g., seeds to germinate that are readily and cheaply available, plants that are easy to sprout and suited to the climate and of course child friendly. Your local garden centre can help out. Local plant species will always be more relevant to the kids. (Planting sunflowers was my favourite as a kid.)

Adapt ideas to your available resources Most projects will not represent an elevated cost. Here you can use recycled materials such as plastic bottles and yoghurt pots, eg. hand trowels can be made from plastic milk or juice bottles with handles. You can also reinforce the Reuse, Reduce Recycle mantra. If you have more of a budget you could, for example, buy plants for the classroom that represent your nature goals.

Don’t forget about your human resources Think about, how many people you have available to help out. Don’t be afraid to ask parents, grannies etc. for help. Get to know a bit about them, what sector do they work in, do they have any interesting hobbies or contacts? Find out who has the wildest back yard and if they need it to be explored. They will be able to help in a million ways with their expertise or simply their time and enthusiasm.

Plan an excursion Think about what nature opportunities are offered by the surrounding countryside. Go with someone who has knowledge of the local plant life, to enrich the visit and be aware of dangerous or poisonous plants.

It’s great if you can go out to a local forest or mountain or other wild habitat but if that presents too much of a logistical or safety problem, even a local park or a corner of the playground can be ideal to focus on one point of interest, for tiny discoveries inside the grounds of the school. Take them to see the weeds growing out of the cracks in the pavement. They can track how fast they grow, pull them out to observe the roots or discuss flowering or seed dispersal. There is a lot to be learnt from the bugs under the rocks too, eg. observational drawings, questions: Why do they live there? What are they doing? Identify and compare species… Finding moss and lichen and other treasures is another option.

Plan ahead and imagine what restriction or problems you might encounter during the activity, especially if you are the only adult involved.

Here are a few juicy nature ideas to get you started:

Flower spotting
Flower pressing
Flower arrangements
Vaseline saucers – you put a thin layer of vaseline on a small plate and make circular patterns with different petal and small leaves
Finding animal tracks, burrows, nests
Collecting seed pods, cones, feathers, sticks, bark, leaves to make their own nests, collages, miniature habitats
Worm collecting for a class compost bin where the kids can throw their biodegradable rubbish from their snacks
Have a “dirty day.” In rural schools, everyday is pretty much a dirty day, but urban schools might find the concept more of a novelty and very liberating – Kids come with old clothes and can play in the dirt, make mud pies and are allowed to get as dirty as they want

Remember, the opportunities to bring our little ones closer to their natural surrounding can be found in every corner. Happy worm hunting!

About the Author: Rebecca Bielawski is the author of the educational series of children’s books MUMMY NATURE, designed for home and classroom use for under 6yrs. With a background in biology, nutrition, art and graphic design. She grew up in rural New Zealand, and now lives in the south of Spain where she is involved in a community project teaching English to Spanish children through stories, games, arts and crafts. http://www.booksbeck.com/

About the Series: Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you!

The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look.

Review of Meet Bacteria (Mummy Nature Book 1) here at Unleashing Readers: This book is a great introduction to scientific exploration and then to bacteria itself. I love that the protagonist is a young girl who is exploring the world around her. I think students will see themselves in her, and that along with the interesting, rhyming information about the different types of bacteria will really persuade kids to want to explore.

I do think that this is just an introduction though. Each bacteria is briefly mentioned along with a fun illustration. I would love to see this book be a jumping off point to an inquiry unit about bacteria.

Thank you Rebecca for tips on how to connect our kids/students with nature from such a young age!

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Top Ten Wednesday: Books from ALAN that Kellee is Excited About

August 4, 2016December 2, 2015 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.

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Today’s Topic: Books from ALAN that Kellee is Excited About

We are extending TTT through Wednesday because we each needed a top ten list to share the books we are excited about from ALAN. I, sadly, was not able to attend the conference and workshop this year because of an unexpected family need, but I was able to attend virtually, and I have some amazing friends who are making sure I get my books. I cannot wait to open the box and see all the goodies inside! Here are 10 that I am cannot wait to read!

1. Booked by Kwame Alexander

I am excited about this book for two reasons. 1) Kwame Alexander. 2) Soccer because my students LOVE soccer.

2. Stand Off by Andrew Smith

I love Winger (it was an Walden Award finalist the year I chaired), so I look forward to reading the newest Ryan Dean West adventure.

3. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

I love everything Ruta Sepetys has written so far, so I look forward to her newest (and Ricki told me how awesome it is!).

4. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

This is another book that was highly recommended by Ricki.

5. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Many friends raved about this book, and I really enjoyed When I Was the Greatest, so I cannot wait to read this one.

6. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Another author who always blows me away.

7. Under Their Skin by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I have a feeling that this series is going to be a bit hit with my students, so I cannot wait to read and share.

8. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle

Margarita Engle’s books are always beautiful, and I believe this story that is straight from her heart will be her most beautiful yet. I cannot wait to read it.

9. A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen

The Berlin Wall is something that I do not know much about, and I love learning about history through historical fiction novels.

10. The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett & Jory John

I think this book is going to be a big hit for my humor fans!

11. (I KNOW! I KNOW!) I Crawl Through It by A.S. King

A.S. King is brilliant.

Make sure to check out Ricki’s list of the books she’s looking forward to reading from ALAN!

If you attended, which books from NCTE and ALAN are you excited about?
If not, which books are you looking forward to read this upcoming year?

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!

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?

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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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