Student Voices: Favorite Book Quotes by Duda V. and Angelina D., 8th grade

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Favorite Book Quotes from Duda V. and Angelina D., 8th grade

Duda

  1. “The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.”– Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
  2. “Better terrible truths than kind lies.”  – Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
  3. “The way Gansey saw it was this: if you had a special knack for finding things, it meant you owed the world to look.”- Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys
  4. “Like calls to like.” – Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone
  5. “What we perceive as art, the universe perceives as directions.” – Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep
  6. “You may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. Some you’ll discover you should put behind you. Others are worth every risk.” – Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End
  7. “There has to be more to life than just imagining a future for yourself. I can’t just wish for the future; I have to take risks to create it.” – Adam Silvera, They Both Die at the End
  8. Either way, we are going to bring beautiful things into the universe.” – Alice Oseman, Radio Silence
  9. “Everyone has a different way of escaping the dark stillness of their mind.” – Marie Lu, Warcoss
  10.  One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel
  11. “Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not read.” -Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess
  12. “I’m used to a world that sells me a lie and pretends it’s the truth.” Scott Reintgen, Nyxia Unleashed
  13. “To be all right implies an impossible phase. We hope for mostly right on the best of our days.” Marissa Meyer, Heartless
  14. “It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you.” Marissa Meyer, Heartless
  15. “Soft hearts make the universe worth living in.” Veronica Roth, Carve the Mark

Angelina:

  1. “Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.” ~Kiera Cass, The One
  2. “I’ll love you until my very last breath. Every beat of my heart is yours. I don’t want to die without you knowing that.” ~Kiera Cass, The One
  3. “There’s always room for love. Even if it’s as small as a crack in the door.” ~Kiera Cass, The Siren
  4. “The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.” ~Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen
  5. “Beauty can only fight the truth for so long…” ~Soman Chainani, The School for Good and Evil
  6. “You gave me a dead frog for my birthday! To remind you we all die and end up rotting underground eaten by maggots so we should enjoy our birthdays while we have them. I found it thoughtful.” ~Soman Chainani, The School for Good and Evil
  7. “Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.” ~Marie Lu, Warcross
  8. “You mean people don’t like to see hypocrisy in their leadership? Shocking.” ~Marissa Meyer, Renegades
  9. “Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.” ~Marissa Meyer, Cinder
  10. “A villain is a victim whose story hasn’t been told.” ~Chris Colfer, The Land of Stories
  11. “’I might be in love with you.’ He smiles a little. ‘I’m waiting until I’m sure to tell you, though.’” ~Veronica Roth, Divergent
  12. “I want to cry because something terrible happened, and I saw it, and I could not see a way to mend it.” ~Veronica Roth, Divergent
  13.  “Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s alright to kiss me anytime you feel like it.” ~Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
  14. “I’ll never leave you. Love will keep us together. Or glue. Glue works too.” ~Rick Riordan, The Burning Maze
  15. “I give you my heart. I mean metaphorically. Put away that knife.” ~Rick Riordan, The Burning Maze

Thank you, Duda and Angelina, for these amazing quotes!

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

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Sofia is an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Ban This Book
Author: Alan Gratz
Published: August 29th 2017 by Starscape Books

Hi!

It’s Sofia Martinez again and I just finished reading this amazing book: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. You definitely would not want to ban Ban This Book. It is for ages 8-12. Ban This Book won a 2020 Nutmeg Book Award in Connecticut. It is a chapter book.

Amy Ann’s favorite book is banned from the library along with others. She decides to make a locker library of all the banned books: the B.B.L.L, the banned books locker library, but when the principal finds out things start to get ugly. For example her favorite librarian gets fired trying to speak up for her. More things happen but I don’t want to be a spoiler.

I really like Ban This Book because it teaches courage. The girl in the book speaks up for her favorite book, something that I would have never done before I read this book. Another reason why I like Ban This Book is because it gives you ideas on what to read next. For example, From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg and Matilda by Roald Dahl. The last reason why I like it is because it is very entertaining. I like how it seems real. For example, there are typical arguments with sisters and a bit of sadness and lots of happiness. 

A few months ago I was walking in the library and saw Ban This Book on the Nutmeg Book Award shelf and thought it looked nice so I checked it out. Once I got home I changed my mind about it and didn’t want to read it anymore. I put it back in the library bag and started reading some other books, but now I really regret that.

Here are some discussion questions I came up with.

  • Would you have spoken up for your favorite book?
  • Would you run away if you had annoying brothers or sisters? 
  • Did you like Ban This Book? Why or why not?
  • How much do you think Amy Anne likes books?

If you want a book that teaches you something even if you’re a grown up, Ban This Book is perfect. I hope you have tons of fun reading this book!

**Thank you, Sofia, for your continued brilliance. You inspire us!**

The Baby-Sitters Club Lives On

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When I was younger, I always liked reading, but it was The Baby-Sitters Club series that truly sucked me in. My parents made the wonderful mistake of saying they’d always buy me a book if I ask for it, and there are a lot of BSC books, so I read so many of them!

The Baby-Sitters Club taught me much more than the wonderful world of books though. Through the books, I learned about:

  • Baby-Sitting
  • Racism
  • Autism
  • Diabetes
  • Death
  • Divorce
  • Eating Disorders
  • Deafness and ASL
  • Asthma
  • Childhood Cancer
  • Crushes
  • Friendships
  • Being a Strong Girl
  • Acceptance of Different Personalities
  • And so much more!

I truly believe that the BSC is a big reason why I feel like I have a foundation of empathy and openness. The books also prompted me to copy many of their baby-sitting techniques such as an information sheet and a kid kit probably giving me a foundation of being an educator also.

The original Baby-Sitters Club books were published from 1986 to 2000 (with a few spin-off book series, a TV mini-series, and a movie during the same time period). Then they reemmerged through graphic novels in 2006. And now, on Netflix, a new TV series came out on July 3rd, and that is what prompted me to write this post.

The Netflix series exceeded my expectations. It was beautifully done. The series has taken what made the BSC books a favorite of millions and moved the story to 2020. In the 10 episodes that have come out, once again the BSC girls are teaching their viewers about so much, including about:

  • Sexism
  • Divorce
  • Friendship
  • Bullying
  • Diabetes
  • Stroke
  • Absent Parents
  • Consequences of Cheating
  • Transgender
  • Menstration
  • Economic Disparities
  • Unhealthy Crushes

All of that in just 10 episodes and with great writing and casting!
(See NYT’s article: The Baby-Sitters Club Defies and Exceeds Expecations)

I realize that sometimes we have to let go of the books we loved as a kid because of different reasons, but The Baby-Sitters Club has lived on. I hope they redo the books with just a few modernizations because the revival of the show shows that the stories still resonate with kids.

I will always be thankful for Ann M. Martin (who I met and cried!!!) and her characters for showing me about life, and I am so happy a new generation are going to love them too.

PlayShifu’s Plugo Letters, Count, and Link

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I am extremely excited to share this virtual-hands on learning system with you because my kids love it. Plugo offers a variety of learning options, and I elected to get their Letters, Count, and Link package. I chose the Letters kit by itself, and it came with a very high quality gameboard and alphabet kit (a lot of letters and a display that allows the app to read the letters). I also chose to get the Count and Link dual package, which also came with the gameboard, a three-spiked device named Spike, a lot of numbers that fit on spike, and magnetic patterned tiles for building. All of the materials are very well-made, and the app is very easy to download and follow (my three-year-old, for instance, figured it out immediately).

One thing I love about this system as opposed to other similar systems is that it adapts to the child’s age level. Each of my children have a profile with their grade level noted, and the app saves their progress.

I also like how well-made the product is. The magnets are strong, and the system feels very sturdy. My three-year-old has dropped several of the activity kits a few times, and they are still doing well.

Below, I share more details about each of the systems, all of which I recommend highly. As a family who is home for the summer (we’ve canceled all summer camps), this is what we’ve needed. The kids used to beg me for television, which we only use as a real treat, but now they beg me to play Plugo. This is much, much more exciting than their workbooks, and they love to engage in the varied games that each of the system offers.

Plugo Letters

An alphabet kit that goes beyond word-building. Develop grammar concepts like verbs, vowels, synonyms & more. Learn to spell & use new words through story-based games.

  • 5 story-based games in the app
  • 250+ challenges and puzzles
  • Age-adaptive challenges, PreK to Grade 5
  • Skills: language development, comprehension, storytelling

I love how my kids use this system and are reading and developing their language without even knowing it. I can hear them whispering the words as they sound them out. I see them trying out different vowels and experimenting with words.

Here, my 6-year-old spells out words along his pathway.

I thought my 3-year-old would be too young for the game, but sure enough, he played for almost an hour (when I cut him off).

The games are fun, and it goes all the way up to fifth grade. This is going to be a learning system that grows with our kids, and I am glad that they are learning letters and words through story. Rather than a video game, the app is more of a narrative that kids follow and stop at selected points to interact with the story using the letter tiles. If they get tired of a story, there are other games within the app to play!

Plugo Count

Traditional math made fun with an innovative hands-on approach. Plugo Count reinvents math with engaging stories that help kids understand and fall in love with numbers.

  • 5 story-based games in the app
  • 250+ challenges and puzzles
  • Age-adaptive challenges, PreK to Grade 5
  • Skills: math (+ – x /), problem-solving, logical reasoning

I love, love, love how this system adapts to the age level of the child, too. My 6-year-old loved playing the games and using operators like addition and subtraction. The repetition of the addition phrases is helping strengthen his memory of common equations. He goes through the story and learns math through authentic examples. I am looking forward to him being able to try out the multiplication and division operators in the future.

When my 3-year-old asked to play Count, I hesitated because I didn’t think he’d be able to play it. Imagine my relief when he started playing and the game asked him to count items in the story and complete the missing number (3, 4, 5, ___). I think about all of the worksheets within workbooks that ask kids to do these same skills, but with Count, he is able to count images that go along with a story. This feels more authentic and exciting!

Plugo Link

Classic building blocks meet modern digital play with Plugo Link! Build and balance the magnetic blocks in real world to solve exciting engineering puzzles on the screen.

  • 5 story-based games in the app
  • 250+ challenges and puzzles
  • Age-adaptive challenges, PreK to Grade 5
  • Skills: engineering, analytical thinking, creative design

My kids are Lego lovers. They could sit at the table for hours with a new Lego kit. So it comes as no surprise that they are obsessed with Link. In the image above, you see my 3-year-old linking up gears to complete an animal. In another game in the app, for instance, He is figuring out how to build pipes to prevent water from flowing out. Older kids can play a game like a word search to connect letters to make words with the patterned tiles. The kids absolutely love Link and enjoy all of the different building games.

Among Letters, Count, and Link, do I have a favorite? No. All three feel very educational and offer something different that is valuable for a child. It would be like asking me if I wanted my kids to attend math, reading, or engineering class. We’ve had a lot of fun with all three of the systems, and we recommend them all. For parents who are looking for more learning options and for parents who are looking to engage kids with hands-on learning, Plugo offers a fun and exciting option that kids will love.

From a teacher perspective, these systems would be really great options for learning stations and fast finishers. I would be really, really excited to see them in my kids’ classrooms because they offer a kinesthetic approach to learning.

**Thank you to PlayShifu for providing Letters and Count for Review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/13/20

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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: Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers

Thursday: Best Learning’s iPoster My WORLD Interactive Map

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Sunday: Student Voices: Seven Books that Will Put a Smile on Your Face by Cooper B., 7th Grade

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

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Kellee

Taking a couple of weeks off of IMWAYR before the school year starts — see you after my break 🙂

To see what books I’ve been reading until then, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page  or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

To start, I read Django Paris and H. Samy Alim’s co-edited Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World. This book is amazing. I found it to be so inspiring and had to limit the number of times I cite it in the book I am writing!

My kids love the Ana and Andrew series, so it’s no surprise that they loved Dancing at Carnival and Summer and Savannah by Christine Platt. This one is available as a read-along on hoopla, and after we read them, the kids asked to read them again.

I never managed to read Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, so I am glad that I was able to find a library copy of it in e-book form. This book is quite charming, and it was fun for my kids to experience an illusion like this for the first time. They call it an illusion, right?

In Spork by Kyo Maclear, a spork doesn’t feel like he fits in, but he learns that he is juuuust right. This is a really cute story, and it offers great opportunities for conversations with kids like fitting in and individuality.

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Ricki

I am reading a lot of books concurrently right now! One that I’ll mention is Zetta Elliot’s Dragons in a Bag. It’s really great, and the kids LOVE it.

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Tuesday: PlayShifu’s Plugo Letters, Count, and Link

Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Sunday: Student Voices: Favorite Book Quotes by Duda V. and Angelina D., 8th grade

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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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Student Voices: Seven Books that Will Put a Smile on Your Face by Cooper B., 7th Grade

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Seven Books (in no particular order) that Will Put a Smile on Your Face by Cooper B., 7th Grade

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
This is a feels the good book is about a girl and her brother who runs away from her abusive mother to a new town who soon she will love.

Trevor Noah: Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
This is a memoir about a comedian who retells his life in South Africa. The book is hilarious and witty about Trevor’s not so smart things that he did as a boy.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a feels good book about a farmer who goes to Egypt to find his true passion that does not involve his sheep.

Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
A funny poem book about all things and everything.

Ethan Marcus Stands Up by Michele Weber Hurwitz
This is about Ethan Marcus who stands up for what he believes in. This will make your day with Marcus’s humor and devotion to what he believes in.

Ungifted by Gordan Korman
This is a book about Donovan Curtis who is reckless and is accidentally put in a gifted school and he tries to make new friends who are all way smarter than him. This book is funny, surprising, and great.

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
This is a hilarious classic book about kids getting into and out of trouble.

Thank you, Zack, for this inspiring piece!

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

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Sofia is an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Wonder
Author: R. J. Palacio
Published: February 14th 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf

Hi!

It’s Sofia Martinez again. Today I will review Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It is recommended for ages 8-12. Wonder is a long chapter book. Chapters are sections of a book. This book also has a thing that most books don’t have: parts. Parts have several chapters in them and in this case each part is written from a different perspective.

Wonder is a funny but also sad book. It is about a kid named August that looks different and because he looks different people aren’t always kind to him. His nickname is Auggie. Auggie had many surgeries so his mom had to homeschool him. Now that everybody his age was moving to middle school, his mom thought that Auggie should go, too.

Like all new kids, Auggie faces difficulties. Auggie still makes friends though. One of them is Summer. When she realizes how her friends are being mean to him, she goes over to his table during lunch to give him company and they end up becoming friends.

I really like Wonder because of its different points of view. You usually don’t get to see the same situation described by different characters and know how they experienced it. I also like Wonder because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You just can’t put the book down until it is finished. 

Once I saw that three copies of Wonder were available at our library, I borrowed them all so I could have a book club with my mom and grandma. We finished at the same time! We also came up with discussion questions. Here are some of them: 

  • Why do you think there are so many parts where Auggie tells the story again from his perspective? How does that help the story? 
  • How do you feel about Via describing her brother Auggie? What do you think about their relationship?
  • Are there any parts of the story that made you sad?

We also watched the movie after reading the book. The movie is very good. It is a bit different from the book but not much. I was surprised how some of the characters looked, for example Summer.

If you want a book that will change the way you look at things, Wonder is perfect for that. Have fun reading it!

If you enjoy Wonder, you might also enjoy the sequel: Auggie and Me by R.J. Palacio. 

**Thank you, Sofia, for your continued brilliance. You inspire us!**