Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

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Exclamation Mark
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Published March 1st, 2013 by Scholastic Press

Goodreads Summary: From the bestselling creators of Duck! Rabbit!, an exciting tale of self-discovery!

He stood out here.

He stood out there.

He tried everything to be more like them.

It’s not easy being seen. Especially when you’re NOT like everyone else. Especially when what sets you apart is YOU.

Sometimes we squish ourselves to fit in. We shrink. Twist. Bend. Until — ! — a friend shows the way to endless possibilities.

In this bold and highly visual book, an emphatic but misplaced exclamation point learns that being different can be very exciting! Period.

My Review and Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: Rosenthal and Lichtenheld have given us a little piece of gold in this book. Not only would it be so much fun to read aloud (I would love to change my emphasis depending on the punctuation), but what a great introduction to ending punctuation! It wold be one of those “trick” books where students learn really enjoying themselves because the story and humor will win them over.

Discussion Questions: When are periods used vs. exclamation marks and question marks?

We Flagged: 

Read This If You Loved: Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld, Other grammar game/story books

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The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

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The Dumbest Idea Ever!
Author and Illustrator: Jimmy Gownley
Expected Publication February 25th, 2014 by GRAPHIX

Goodreads Summary: Jimmy Gownley’s graphic novel memoir about the “dumb” idea that changed his life forever!

What if the dumbest idea ever turned your life upside down?

At thirteen, Jimmy was popular, at the top of his class, and the leading scorer on his basketball team. But all that changed when chicken pox forced him to miss the championship game. Things went from bad to worse when he got pneumonia and missed even more school. Before Jimmy knew it, his grades were sinking and nothing seemed to be going right.

How did Jimmy turn things around, get back on top at school, and land a date with the cutest girl in class?

Renowned comics creator Jimmy Gownley shares his adventures as he grows from an eager-to-please boy into a teenage comic book artist. This is the real-life story of how the DUMBEST idea ever became the BEST thing that ever happened to him.

My Review: I own many of the Amelia Rules series, but I had not read them before; however, when I got Jimmy Gownley’s memoir graphic novel, I knew I had to read it. I am always looking for ways to get my students to read more nonfiction and a graphic novel autobiography (like Smile) is definitely one of the ways to get them more interested in nonfiction. And, like Smile, Jimmy’s story is one that students will definitely connect with and, hopefully, enjoy. It deals with not only Jimmy’s journey of writing his graphic novel but also many the transition to high school and first love.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This book will be a definite motivator for students and really shares that a teen can do anything. And on top of the message, it is a well-written, funny story that students will enjoy.

I can also see it being used as a mentor text to have students write their own memoir graphic novel. You could use Jarrett Krosoczka’s writing mountain video (http://www.studiojjk.com/booktalks.html) to help write an in-depth story, work on deciding on life moments to write about, and then maybe use http://www.storyboardthat.com/ to story board the story.

Discussion Questions: What circumstances helped make Jimmy write his comic?

We Flagged: “Look at this! There must be dozens of new books here! Hundreds! War comics and humor comics…Horror, crime, sci-fi, romance… and not one of them look appropriate for a kid my age. AWESOME.” (p. 60)

Read This If You Loved: Smile by Raina Telgemeier, Amelia Rules! series by Jimmy Gownley, Zebrafish by Peter H. Reynolds

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Seymour Simon’s Extreme Oceans and Extreme Earth Records

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NF PB 2013

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

oceans earth

Extreme Oceans and Extreme Earth Records
Author: Seymour Simon
Published April 2nd, 2013 and August 29th, 2012 by Chronicle Books

Extreme Oceans Goodreads Summary: Join Seymour Simon, the “dean” of children’s science nonfiction, as he investigates the most extreme environments, animals, plants, and weather in the ocean. Imagine exploring the most extreme parts of our amazing oceans—riding the tallest waves, diving to the darkest depths, and encountering the largest and most dangerous sea creatures on Earth. These mind-bending facts and stunning photographs make for an exciting, and sometimes unbelievable, underwater expedition!

Extreme Earth Records Goodreads Summary: Imagine exploring the most extreme parts of our amazing planet—trekking though the driest desert, climbing the snowiest mountaintops, and diving to the deepest regions of the ocean floor. Seymour Simon, the dean of children’s science nonfiction, investigates Earth’s biggest, smallest, deepest, and coldest environments, animals, plants, and most severe weather. These mind-bending facts and photographs invite readers on an exciting, and sometimes unbelievable, scientific expedition of Earth’s most amazing records!

My Review: These books take the other Seymour Simon books I read and just pushes them to the extreme (pun intended). Both books take on different topics and gives the readers extreme facts and information about the topics. Topics range from “Big Waves and Giant Tides”, “Dangerous Sea Animals”, and “Climate Change” in Extreme Oceans and “The Coldest Place on Earth”, “The Biggest Earthquake on Earth”, and “The Largest Volcanic Eruption on Earth” in Extreme Earth Records. In each section, there are bits of information, photographs, sidebars, and text boxes all which add to the topic. All of the information is fascinating and by the end of each section definitely gives insight into the topic. Also, the photographs in these books are just breathtaking!

Teacher’s Tools For Navigation: Like other Simon books, students will definitely love to just read these as they include some fascinating information. Teachers can use them in a couple of different ways: as supplemental materials when teaching a topic, as a research source, or to discuss text features (and I’m sure a bunch of other different ways that I have not even thought of).

Discussion Questions: Would you rather live in the coldest or hottest place on Earth?; Which of the most dangerous ocean animals scares you the most? Why?; Many other discussion questions based on the topics

We Flagged: “Stormy Seas: Imagine being caught at sea in a small ship in the middle of a monster storm that stretches for hundreds of miles in all directions. That’s what happened to a fishing ship, the Andrea Gail, on October 30, 1991. The storm was so big that there was no way to get out. Huge waves and howling winds sampled and sank the boat. It was called the ‘perfect storm’ because all the different factors that can make up a huge storm came together at one time and one place.” (Extreme Oceans p. 25)

“The Largest Volcanic Eruption on Earth: As you read this book, somewhere around the world there are approximately twenty volcanoes erupting. Three-quarters of volcanic eruptions occur unseen beneath the oceans, and no one knows when they happen.” (Extreme Earth Records p. 49)

Read This If You Loved: National Geographic Kids Weird But TrueDangerous Animals of the Sea by Samantha Flores,  Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne, Discovery Channel’s Top 10 Deadliest Sharks, 50 Climate Questions by Peter Christie, Giant Squid by Mary M. Cerullo, The Top of the World by Steve Jenkins

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 12/16/13

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

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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

top ten tuesday cats penguins

gorillas 6135987 explorer

salem2 salem1 Baby Shower Books

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

 

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: The busy-ness that started with my mom’s surprise visit and my baby shower kept going this week; however, this weekend I was able to get some reading done. First, I finished The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley and will be sharing it with you this week. I then started reading some of the Nerdy award finalists so I am more knowledgeable for voting (I’ll also review most of these for you). The ones I got through this weekend are: Battle Bunny by Jon Sciezska, I’m a Frog & A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems, Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Ling & Ting Share a Birthday by Grace Lin, Bluebird by Bob Staake, and Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes. I can definitely see why these were nominated!

Ricki:  Henry (my new baby) is in his second week right now. We read a counting book together and Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola. How did I miss this one as a kid? It teaches some great lessons. We are also making our way through The Velveteen Rabbit by Margerie Williams, but Henry tends to cry after a few pages. While he sleeps, I am busy reading The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher and The Living by Matt de la Peña. He is one of my favorite YA authors!

Here is a picture of Henry as I type this blog post on my laptop (don’t mind the messy background of my house…):

Photo on 12-15-13 at 8.22 PM


This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have a couple more Nerdy finalists to read this week. After those, I’ll probably read Gareth Hinds’s Romeo and Juliet. Once winter break starts (FRIDAY!), I hope to get through some of the YA novels I have set aside. 

Ricki: No promises, but I have all intentions of finishing The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher and The Living by Matt de la Peña. Henry and I will also finish a few children’s books (whichever are within my arm’s reach while feeding him—but there are some great ones (new and old!).

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday earth oceans Achieving Flow-page0001

18222546 exclamation battle

 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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Baby Boy Moye’s Newest Book Acquisitions

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Baby Shower Books

My friend Amanda was so kind to throw me a baby shower last Saturday and it was perfect!

I was surrounded by my best girl friends and the love was just radiating throughout the room. Also, my mother surprised me by coming down from Chattanooga.

And on top of that, she made my shower BOOK THEMED! Attendees were asked to bring a book for Baby Boy Moye in place of a card, one of the games was book themed, and all of the food was based off of books. YES!

Here are Baby Boy Moye’s newest book acquisitions!
I am so excited to read them all to him!

231850 1296415 15945902 887922 402332 4948 310259 209628 301141

122105 94807 601674 23257523772 6602290  13376278 773951 232958 191113 2865944 7253305144863 815234 370493

3060118 

17841538 1129584 3872116

37377 17265267 759611

276553 6902546 

My baby is already so blessed (and has one awesome baby library!).

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The Misadventures of Salem Hyde by Frank Cammuso

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Spelling Trouble
Author and Illustrator: Frank Cammuso
Published October 1st, 2013 by Harry N. Abrams

salem2

Big Birthday Bash
Author and Illustrator: Frank Cammuso
Published May 20th, 2014 by Amulet Books

Spelling Troubles Goodreads Summary: Salem Hyde just isn’t like other kids. For one thing, she’s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she’s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later—which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!

Good thing she’s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn’t like Salem calling him “Whammy,” and Salem doesn’t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn’t do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee.

Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there’s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!

Big Birthday Bash Goodreads Summary: Young witch Salem Hyde is stubborn, impulsive, and loves flying. Her cat companion, Whammy, is nervous, careful, and loves staying on the ground. Somehow, though, they’re best friends. In this second book in the series, Salem is invited to a birthday party, and she wants to make sure everything goes perfectly. But from the invitations to the presents, party games, and spells gone awry, nothing happens exactly the way it should, and she’ll need Whammy’s help to sort it all out. 

My Review: I made sure to pick this up at NCTE from Abrams because Frank Cammuso is a big hit in my classroom. His series, Knights of the Lunch Table (great allusion to King Arthur!) is loved by many a reader (so much so that I think my copy of the first in the series just bit the dust and I’ll need to replace it). Although they did tell me that readers of TKotLT are older than the intended audience for Salem Hyde I wanted to make sure to read it because I was sure I was going to enjoy it—and I did! I’m also so pleased with the embracing of graphic novels that have been happening over the last 5 years and even graphic novels for young readers. The amount of graphic novels for young readers is really starting to accumulate and I have been impressed with most of the ones I’ve read, Salem Hyde included. I feel that many of the juvenile graphic novels are well done, multi-layered, and truly respectable just like the YA graphic novels.

Salem Hyde reminds me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but a bit more of a trouble maker. Salem made me laugh and made me shake my head. She is one headstrong, independent little lady who, mixed with trying to figure out all of her match powers as she grows up as a witch, is a great main character.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: These books will find most of its success in children’s hands; however, it could definitely be used as a read aloud. Also, in both of these books Whammy, at one point, tells Salem a story to help teacher her a lesson and they are both based off of classics. In Spelling Trouble it is Moby Dick and in Big Birthday Bash it is Gift of the Magi. Salem Hyde would be a perfect introduction to these two stories for young readers.  Another aspect of Salem Hyde that I, as a teacher, may use in the classroom are the character introductions that were included. Each new character got a “Getting to know ____” with their likes, dislikes, and other fun facts (magic powers, etc.). This would be a fun activity to do when writing a narrative and trying to develop characters.

Discussion Questions: How does Whammy use stories to help Salem understand?; How is Salem a better friend to Edgar than Shelly?; Why was Whammy exactly what Salem needed?

We Flagged: 

Or “Look Inside” Spelling Troubles on Amazon

Read This If You Loved: Babymouse and Squish series by Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Gabby and Gator by James Burk, Luz Makes a Splash by Claudia Davila, Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett, Lulu series by Judith Viorst, Bink and Gollie series by Kate DiCamillo, Franny K. Stein series by Jim Benton, Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner, Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre

Recommended For: 

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Explorer: The Lost Islands edited by Kazu Kibuishi

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Explorer: The Lost Islands
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Published October 15th, 2013 by Harry N. Abrams

Goodreads Summary: The highly anticipated second volume to the critically acclaimed Explorer series, The Lost Islands is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places. Edited by the New York Times bestselling comics creator Kazu Kibuishi, this graphic anthology includes well-written, beautifully illustrated stories by Kazu (the Amulet series), Jason Caffoe (the Flight series), Raina Telgemeier (Drama and Smile), Dave Roman (the Astronaut Academy series), Jake Parker (the Missile Mouse series), Michel Gagné (The Saga of Rex), Katie and Steven Shanahan (the Flight series), and up-and-coming new artist Chrystin Garland.

My Review and Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: I am a huge fan of Kazu Kibuishi. His artwork and his stories are so beautiful, so I know when he pulls together an anthology it is going to be phenomenal and this one does not disappoint. Each story revolves around an island although every story is very different. And I’ll be honest for a second, most of the time when I read short story anthologies, there is at least one story that is just “EH” for me, but I really liked each of these and they all fit a different purpose: Rabbit Island by Jake Parker was fun but had a great message, Loah by Michel Gagne was an artistic masterpiece, Radio Adrift by Katie and Steven Shanahan is so different from the others, etc.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: What I love about anthologies is that each story is different and can be used to discuss different narrative aspects. For example, Kazu Kibuishi’s story can be compared to Moby Dick and can also be used for cause and effect, Raina Telgemeier’s story would be great to use for inferencing and Carapace by Jason Caffoe can be compared to other fantasy stories (and these are just what I thought of off the top of my head). And, of course, on top of all of this, it will be read and loved by kids.

Discussion Questions: Which story out of the anthology is your favorite and why?; Which island out of the anthology would you like to live on? Which would you avoid?; How is the captain in Kazu Kibuishi’s story similar to Captain Ahab?; In Carapace, the boy lands on a fantastical island. What fantastical island does it remind you of?

We Flagged: 

(Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier, p. 58)
Shared by Raina Telegemeier on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5048366-explorer-the-lost-islands-out-now

Read This If You Loved: Flight series edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Teen Boat! by Dave Roman, Smile and Drama by Raina Telgemeier, Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

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