Kellee

Author Guest Post: “Getting Kids Interested in Science” by L.G. Reed, Author of The Science of Defying Gravity

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“Getting Kids Interested in Science” 

Your kid begs you to help her build a model of a volcano or a model airplane or experiment with chemistry. An impossible dream? I argue the answer is NO! Science is all around us and you can get your kids excited about exploring science with fun, easy projects that can be done at home.

Why bother getting kids excited about science? Because it can be a fun way to learn! I had a friend who was a propulsion engineer and she would go to schools to talk. Now, let’s face it, propulsion engineer sounds pretty dull – right? She started her talks by saying, “I blow things up for a living.” That got the kids attention! A career blowing things up sounded pretty darn cool. Well, among other things, science teaches us how things blow up, through chemistry and physics. Scientific processes do amazing things every day. Make it fun and your kids will love it!

  • Let’s start with a few basics. Science is broken down into disciplines, or categories: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Geology. Some people would add space science (also known as astronomy and psychology

Kids may gravitate to one or the other. Here is a quick breakdown of the difference between them.

  • Biology – the study of life systems, including humans.
  • Chemistry – the study of the property of matter and how matter changes, along with the elements of the periodic table and how they interact to create materials, drugs, foods, fuels…
  • Physics – the study of the elemental rules that govern our lives on earth. Magnetism, Gravity, and how these forces effect matter.
  • Geology – the study of the structure of the earth.
  • Astronomy – the study of the planets, stars and the universe, and psychology –the study of the human psyche.

I you aren’t sure what area of science your child gravitates to (see I used a science term there to mean what they are pulled toward) that’s not a problem. Most aspects of science are addressed by more than one discipline.  Below are some experiments or projects kids can do at home to explore what interests them. You’ll want to be on hand to help.

Biology – Plant a sunflower seed. As it grows, observe how the flower head follows the sun or artificial grow light in a demonstration of heliotropism. Or plant a cucumber seed and place a stick or taut string beside the plant and observe how the tendrils wrap around the string. Which way do they go? Then have the kids do some research to understand why. This project takes a bit of time, as the seeds need to germinate and grow. Use the time to encourage your kids to read up on how a seed turns into a plant. Find this and more at the following website: https://www.shareitscience.com/search?q=tendrils

Chemistry – Start with a hardboiled egg. Place it in a container with vinegar. Let it sit for at least a day. It will get all fizzy and scuzzy. Then wash it off and watch as the shell dissolves. Vinegar, or acetic acid, has dissolved the shell, which is mostly calcium, leaving the egg underneath. Find this and more at the following website: https://www.3plearning.com/blog/simple-chemistry-experiments-kids-home/#Egg

Physics – Take four popsicle sticks and three rubber bands and make a catapult. See how far you can toss a coin or other light object. Does the weight of the object effect the distance or height it reaches? (use objects of differing weights) This one should be done with adult supervision as the rubber bands can break, or kids might decide to see whether it hurts to have a penny chucked at them. Check out the details and an illustrative video at this website: https://interestingengineering.com/7-diy-physics-experiments-that-will-impress-everyone

Geology – Using just corn flower and water you can make your own quicksand. This one is messy, so outside please! https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/quicksand.html

One last tidbit. Search Pinterest for SCIENCE PROJECTS FOR KIDS. And find links to loads of websites that contain interesting projects for you and your kids to explore the different areas of science. Couple the experiment with a discussion about what is happening and a supervised internet search for reasons to explain observations and you’ve got yourself an engaged, citizen-scientist in the making!

About the Author: Author and publisher, L. G. Reed believes stories that provide an artistic or relationship story along with a science focus can be an effective way to hook girls into STEM, especially at the earliest ages. She targets middle school because research has shown that these years are crucial to establishing girl’s interest in STEM topics.

Reed’s background in science and technology came from her career as an aerospace engineer, and her latest book THE SCIENCE OF DEFYING GRAVITY reflects that. She insists, however, that the book isn’t just about science. It’s about perseverance and curiosity — because every kid has those traits. Her goal is to spark their interest and get them to think that science and tech is something they can do.

Reed’s debut novel, The Maiden Voyage of the Maryann won the Cygnus Awards 1st Place – Women’s Fantasy/SciFi Category. Her second book, a middle-grade fantasy titled Sydney Porter: Dog Girl was an Amazon best seller.

Adding to her writing, she is channeling her love of books and writers into Keyes Canyon Press, an independent publisher focusing on middle grade and young adult fiction, and poetry for all ages.  Keyes Canyon Press seeks outstanding manuscripts that encourage reading and learning. Un-agented authors are encouraged to submit.

www.keyescanyonpress.com

Expected Publication: September 9th, 2020 from Keyes Canyon Press

About the Book: THE SCIENCE OF DEFYING GRAVITY is a middle-grade STEM based fiction. 11 yr old Cassie films her life. She loves movies and dreams of becoming a movie director in space. When her plans to go to Space Camp are derailed when her dad loses his job and she must win a science fair to earn a scholarship to attend. Spunk, a caring teacher, an engineering mentor and her friends keep her dream on track.

Contained within THE SCIENCE OF DEFYING GRAVITY is an actual science fair project, including tables and charts for kids to see. The project covers the four forces of flight—lift, thrust, gravity and drag—which are embedded in the fictional story but are factually accurate and have been verified by working engineers and engineering students.

“Useful, entertaining, and encouraging; will inspire confidence and an appreciation of science.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Tweens who enjoy making, building, and learning will get the most from this book about what it takes to become a scientist.” — Booklife Reviews

Thank you, L.G., for these fun science activities for kids!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/31/20

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Neal Shusterman’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Sunday:  Author Guest Post: “Supporting Teachers with #PointsforTeachers” by Alane Adams, Author of Witch Wars

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

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Have an amazing week! Our school, our kids’ school, family, and professional obligations have filled up our time recently and this week’s IMWAYR just didn’t happen–we apologize! We love hosting, and we’ll be back soon!!

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Saturday:  Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: My Favorite Books by Roald Dahl

Sunday: Author Guest Post by L.G. Reed, Author of The Schience of Defying Gravity

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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: “Supporting Teachers with #PointsforTeachers” by Alane Adams, Author of Witch Wars

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“Supporting Teachers with #PointsforTeachers”

As a children’s author and literacy advocate, I am a huge supporter of helping teachers succeed in the classroom. Last summer, while trolling on Twitter one night, I discovered a grassroots movement gaining momentum on social media. A young teacher in Texas, tired of having to spend money out of her own pocket to provide basic classroom supplies for her classroom had come up with the idea of posting her Amazon wishlist on social media, asking other teachers to help fund it and inviting them to do the same thing. This effort became known as #clearthelists and thousands of teachers began posting their lists and buying items off each other’s lists. A single book sent here, a box of colored pencils there. The simple joy they felt at empowering themselves to solve this problem by helping fellow teachers spread like wildfire and it quickly became a movement. I found one of these lists that night and bought the teacher a few items, quickly tweeted them back, and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up to hundreds of replies to my tweet from teachers all over the country. We quickly put our heads together at Rise Up, the literacy foundation I founded in 2008, and agreed we should try to help as many teachers as we could. Using humorous tweets, I quickly became known as the #gifqueen, and by the time fall had settled in, we had helped fund over 500 teacher wish lists.

After engaging with so many teachers on social media, I’ve come to see the many fundamental needs that go unfulfilled, and their determined passion to find a way to help their students. Teachers spend on average $400-$600 out of their own pockets to provide basic classroom supplies for their students ranging from pencils, dry erase markers, colored paper to glue sticks— a fact which is both heart wrenching and hard to fathom in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Teacher’s lists are never ending because every year, the supplies are used up, and the needs start all over again. It’s not only tight school district budgets that make classroom funding sparse, but many low-income families are unable to afford the necessary school supplies for their children which means they show up to school without pencils or paper, putting the burden on the teacher to provide them with the tools they need. It’s easy to argue that it’s not their job but tell that to the teacher who’s heart breaks because her student doesn’t own a pencil. Replacing books is even harder with very few dollars allotted toward classroom libraries.

Since the global pandemic struck, we’ve seen a surge in requests for pandemic-related Back To School needs with teachers asking for remote learning tools such as document cameras and new laptops. Classroom needs are changing as well with a need for individualized containers to keep students supplies separate, along with increased sanitation supplies, face masks, hand sanitizer—all this is on top of their normal requirements. We at Rise Up tried to think of new ways to engage and help teachers meet the challenges ahead. I realized I had an enormous stockpile of unused credit card reward points sitting around that could easily be converted into Amazon dollars. Using reward points is easy on Amazon—all you have to do is register your participating rewards credit card—American Express, Citibank, Chase, and Discover are just a few they accept—and when you get to check out, you simply choose “use reward points” and the points value is deducted off your total. This inspired us to expand our efforts to help teachers clear their lists with a movement we call #PointsForTeachers. The goal is to educate individuals who would like to help but maybe don’t know how they can make an impact. We hope to encourage them to look at those unused reward points that are sitting idle on their credit card statements and reach out and find a teacher to help. It’s super simple and easy to make a big impact. All you have to do is follow these steps:

  • Register your card on Amazon at amazon.com/shopwithpoints.
  • Search for a teacher to help on Twitter using #pointsforteachers or #clearthelists.
  • Shop for items on the teacher’s list.
  • Use your points to pay at checkout!

To kick the program off we pledged 1 million reward points toward teacher’s wish lists. To date we’ve helped almost 200 teacher’s get back to school with essential items and we have many more to go before we run out of points. In addition, we registered with JustGiving so that individuals can donate their points directly to the Rise Up Foundation to help us supply classrooms. To donate your points, just go to JustGiving.com and search for Rise Up Foundation.

With everything that is asked of teachers during these challenging times, now more than ever, they need our support to get them the items they need to make a difference in the lives of their students. Won’t you join us in making a difference in the life of a teacher and their classroom today?

Witches of Orkney #3: Witch Wars
Expected Publication October 13th, 2020 by SparkPress

About the Book: Abigail’s second year at the Tarkana Academy has been an all-out disaster. She’s just unwittingly helped Vertulious, an ancient he-witch and powerful alchemist, destroy Odin’s Stone and restore his powers, and now all of Orkney is caught up in the threat of war as the witches prepare to destroy the helpless Orkadians. Determined to set things right, Abigail and Hugo set off for Jotunheim, the land of the giants, to find a weapon to restore the balance. All they have to do is track down the God of Thunder and convince Thor to turn his hammer over to them.

When their former-friend-now-foe Robert Barconian arrives with a band of dwarves, intent on stopping them, Abigail and friends must unite to prevent a war that will destroy them all. But has Abigail made the biggest mistake of all by trusting in the wrong ally?

About the Author: Alane Adams is the author of award-winning titles that include the Legends of Orkney™ Norse mythology series for middle grade readers, the Witches of Orkney prequel series including her newest book Witch Wars out October 2020, and a series of historical picture books set in the 1920s including The Coal Thief. Alane’s newest Greek mythology series, The Legends of Olympus debuted Spring 2020 with The Eye of Zeus. Alane Adams and her books have been featured on BBC, Fox, the CW, Parade, Bustle, Today, People, and many more! When Alane is not writing or talking to kids in schools about Reading Is A Superpower, she’s out hiking somewhere in the world or hanging out with her three boys in Southern California. For more information, visit https://alaneadams.com or follow Alane on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @AlaneAdamsBooks.

About Rise Up Foundation: Rise Up Foundation strives to improve the lives of children and families living in poverty and difficult circumstances, as well as teachers and educators of young children. Rise Up supports literacy projects as a path toward improving the future prospects of children in underserved communities by making book donations, providing classroom support, and grant-making. In addition to literacy efforts, Rise Up works with organizations committed to defining and solving the problems that chronic poverty brings to children and their communities. For more information, visit https://riseupfoundation.org or follow on Facebook @Rise.Up.Foundation and on Twitter @RiseUpFdn.

Thank you, Alane, for showing how to support teachers during this tumultous times!

Neal Shusterman’s Visit to Kellee’s School

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On March 5th, Neal Shusterman came to visit my school!

My amazing principal set a goal for an author to visit our school each year and she started this tradition with Jennifer Nielsen visiting in December, 2018. Neal Shusterman continued the tradition and hopefuly in April, 2021 Nathan Hale will be visiting us. This tradition shows how important literacy is to my principal!

We were so excited for the visit, and we wanted our school to reflect our excitement:

Our library and school decorations were made by so many different students: everyone in an art class, 6th and 7th grade intensive reading students (Ms. DeLuca and Ms. Chacon’s classes), 7th grade language arts students (Ms. Rokaw’s classes), Advanced Academics students (Ms. Perez’s classes), my book club, my Student Literacy Leaders, and my library student assistants. My libray clark, Ms. Armstrong, and I made the Neal Shusterman unwound pieces signs.

You can see a tour of my library on Neal’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B97d71tgQsr/?hl=en!

 

Neal did a whole-grade presentation with each grade level. He did a Q&A format and students were so engaged as they drove the conversation. We learned about his upcoming books, movies, and TV shows as well as his inspirations, start as an author, and more!

At lunch, students who had read 3 or more of his novels were invited to a special event where Neal read a couple of chapters from an upcoming novel and then he hosted a writer’s workshop which was truly engaging!

Our AMAZING day ended with a signing line for any student, faculty/staff, or community member that wanted a book signed by Neal.

It was a perfect day! I am so lucky to have school and admin support in endeavors like this and the friendship and brilliance of authors like Neal Shusterman!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/24/20

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Our World: A First Book of Geography by Sue Lowell Gallion, Illustrated by Lisk Feng

Thursday: Blog Tour with Reviews and Book Trailer: Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast: Short & Sweet by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Brandon Kearney

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

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

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Kellee


  • Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson: “For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone’s hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he’s as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ’s house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ’s mom explains it’s because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career.”
  • This is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio: “Jocelyn Wu has just three wishes for her junior year: To make it through without dying of boredom, to direct a short film with her BFF Priya Venkatram, and to get at least two months into the year without being compared to or confused with Peggy Chang, the only other Chinese girl in her grade.  Will Domenici has two goals: to find a paying summer internship, and to prove he has what it takes to become an editor on his school paper. Then Jocelyn’s father tells her their family restaurant may be going under, and all wishes are off. Because her dad has the marketing skills of a dumpling, it’s up to Jocelyn and her unlikely new employee, Will, to bring A-Plus Chinese Garden into the 21st century (or, at least, to Facebook).What starts off as a rocky partnership soon grows into something more. But family prejudices and the uncertain future of A-Plus threaten to keep Will and Jocelyn apart. It will take everything they have and more, to save the family restaurant and their budding romance.”
  • The Colossus of Roads by Christina Uss: “Eleven-year-old Rick Rusek is determined to improve the traffic conditions in Los Angeles– his parent’s failing delivery catering service, Smotch, depends on it: Traffic is a puzzle with one correct solution. And I’ve got to solve it! Rick has been studying maps and traffic patterns for years, and devises solutions to improve Los Angeles’ notoriously terrible traffic that he calls his Snarl Solutions. He has big ideas, but not enough resources– until his artistic friend, Mila brings him to a Girl Scout meeting.”
  • Unicorn Rescue Society: The Madre de Aguas of Cuba by Adam Gidwitz and Emma Otheguy: I just love this series. The adventure is fun, the mythology is interesting and diverse, and the humor is on point. Overall just such a well-rounded series.
  • With Trent:
    • Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee: I loved this book when I read it years ago, and I was happy to share it with Trent!
    • Happy Fell by Erica Perl: This book is on our state list, and Trent is a huge fan of this duo. He declared when we were done that we need to get more of the series.
    • Avatar: The retelling of the show which has become one of Trent’s favorite things. We’re working to find more in the series as the library only has the first one.
    • Fly Guy: One of Trent’s favorite series.
    • Before She was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome: One of the most beautifully written and illustrated biographies I’ve ever read.
    • My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero: I love this family, their town, and this book. It looks at the importance of tradition and change.
    • Read alouds Trent and I listened to: Ghost Cat by Eve Bunting & The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing
    • Trent has also started reading books on his own! It blows my mind what a reader he has become! I have started keeping track of books he reads on his own, and I think I’m going to start his own Goodreads…

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Hi! I am taking a break this week and next because university classes are starting, and my kids are remote. It should be wild! (Don’t worry, we are still reading.)

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Kellee

Currently Reading: My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee

Currently Listening: The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

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Tuesday: Neal Shusterman’s Visit to Kellee’s School

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Alane Adams, Author of Witch Wars

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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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Blog Tour with Book Trailer and Reviews: Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast in Short & Sweet by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Brendan Kearney

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Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast in Short & Sweet
Author: Josh Funk
Illustrator: Brendan Kearney
Publishing September 1st, 2020 by Sterling Children’s Books

Summary: Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast are back with a twist: they’ve been transformed into small children. Now it’s a race against the clock to turn our favorite duo into grown-ups again!

Lady Pancake is aching; Sir French Toast’s looking pale. Could they be going . . . STALE? Maybe a visit to Professor Biscotti’s lab for her despoiling procedure will help. But instead of beautifying them, Biscotti accidentally transforms the two treats into toddlers! Frightened of the now gargantuan (to them) Baron von Waffle, the mini breakfast foods scamper off on an adventure in the fridge, visiting everywhere from the Bran Canyon to Limes Square. Will Baron von Waffle and Professor Biscotti figure out a way to turn them back into a grown Lady and Sir? Or will they stay short & sweet forever?

In this fourth Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast adventure, Pancake and Toast fear they are going stale and visit Professor Biscotti, whose faulty gadget transforms them into toddlers, sending them on an adventure in the refrigerator.

Our reviews of:
Book One
Book Two
Book Three

About the Creators: 

Josh Funk is the author of Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, followed by its sequels The Case of the Stinky Stench and Mission Defrostable, as well as Albie Newton, How to Code a Sandcastle, Lost in the Library, and more. He lives in Concord, MA. Visit him online at joshfunkbooks.com or on Twitter at @joshfunkbooks.

Brendan Kearney is also the illustrator of the first Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast; its sequels The Case of the Stinky Stench and Mission Defrostable; and Bertie Wings It. He lives in St. Albans, UK.

Book Trailer: 

Kellee’s Review: I think the best review I could give of this book is the joy that it brings my son. I wish you all could have seen his face when I told him I was going to read another Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast book. That face truly says it all! When we finished, and he loved it so much, I asked him if he would help me review it. Here are his thoughts:

What was your favorite part of this book? I love that they go to the library because kids do love libraries and books.

Why do you like the Lady Pancake and French Toast books? They are all funny when everyone goes on an adventure. I like the illustrations and the words. Both. I like that it rhymes. And the illustrations look funny. I just like everything.

This is who these books are for, so I think his words speak volumes!

As for me, I adore this series too! And I always am so impressed that Josh Funk is able to create such a rhythmic rhyming prose–it blows me away and shows his pure rhyming genius. This story was extra wonderful because we got to see little Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast who were so cute!

Ricki’s Review: These books are truly among my very favorite to read aloud. I read them often with kids, and they are a real crowd-pleaser! Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast in Short & Sweet is another masterpiece that will be so useful to teachers and parents everywhere. Reading it brought me so much joy.

The pictures and words pair beautifully to personify the food. I could see kids having fun creating their own personified food stories and using this book as a mentor text.

Right now, we all need humor. Both my kids and I laughed as we read this one, and I am so glad that it is out in the world. I am very grateful for Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney for bringing such cheer to my days.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Josh Funk’s books are instant mentor texts for rhyming and rhythm. Take a spread and have students mimic his rhyming and rhythm using their own characters. Or in general you can use his texts to discuss these as his rhythmic and rhyming texts are some of the best!

Discussion Questions: 

  • What other picture books could you rename with food puns?
  • If you were writing a Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast story, where would you have them visit in the refrigerator?
  • Why was Baron Von Waffle so upset by the Lady Pancake’s and Sir French Toast’s reaction to him?
  • How did Baron Von Waffle save the day twice?
  • There are some other characters in the book that are not named–what would you name them?

Flagged Passages: 

Read This If You Love: Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast books, Rhyming texts, Funny books,

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall 

Visit all of the Stops on the Short & Sweet Virtual Book Tour to not miss out on any reviews or goodies!

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**Thank you to Josh Funk for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 8/17/20

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday:  Build a Castle: 64 Slot-Together Cards for Creative Fun by Pail Farrell

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Four Ways to Help Reluctant Readers” by Fleur Bradley, Author of Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

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

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Kellee

With this being the first week back with students, I did read every night but I didn’t finish anything because I fell asleep reading every night! At least I don’t feel like I’m in a rut anymore, I’m loving reading again!, but I just can’t stay awake!! 🙂

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I read a lot of great books this week!

  • Our World: A First Book of Geography by Sue Lowell Gallion is cleverly constructed! It opens into a globe! I’ll be reviewing it in full tomorrow.
  • Give It! by Cinders McLeod is just as great as the other books in the series. My kids love learning math with these books.
  • If you haven’t checked out Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (edited by Paris & Alim) or Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Education (edited by Valerie Kinloch, Tanja Burkard, and Carlotta Penn), I highly, HIGHLY recommend both of these texts. Both made me rethink my pedagogy, and I am excited to share them with teacher education students.
  • Felix and the Monsters by Monica Holtsclaw looks at the walls we create and why they might need to come down (a very relevant theme these days!).
  • My kids loved Butts are Everywhere by Jonathan Stutzman. They laughed quite a bit.
  • I sobbed as I read Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio. It’s based on a true story, which made me sob harder.
  • Bunheads by Misty Copeland is a lovely story and a perfect gift for lovers of dance.
  • This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis is a stunning, beautifully quiet text. It was really, really fun to read aloud. It’s quite literary.
  • The Seed of Compassion by the Dalai Lama teaches powerful lessons of being compassionate. It is very well done.
  • I loved the illustrations and message of Alba and the Ocean Cleanup by Lara Hawthorne.
  • And The Wanderer by Peter van den Ende is absolutely breathtaking. The illustrations (which are based on an epic dream) are wildly artistic. This is a book that you could read one hundred times and still find details that captivate you.

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Kellee

Currently Reading: The Colossus of Roads by Christina Uss

Currently Listening to: This is my Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio

Reading with Trent: Whatever he chooses each night

Ricki

I just started New Kid by Jerry Craft yesterday, and I am loving it. I read half last night and plan to finish it tonight!

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Tuesday: Our World: A First Book of Geography by Sue Lowell Gallion, Illustrated by Lisk Feng

Thursday: Blog Tour with Reviews and Book Trailer: Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast: Short & Sweet by Josh Funk, Illustrated by Brandon Kearney

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

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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!

 Signature andRickiSig