Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Underrated Books

September 9, 2014September 9, 2014 by Ricki

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.

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Underrated Books

Books we love that need more recognition!

Ricki

1. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

I discovered this picture book this week. Okay, it won an award, so it isn’t underrated. BUT, when I wrote about it on the IMWAYR post, so many people said they hadn’t heard of it. This is one of the best picture books I have ever read!

2. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

I just wrote about this book yesterday! I think it is the perfect picture book to read to a child. It seems simple, yet it emanates worldliness and love.

3. Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice by Catherine Lewis

If I could have it my way, this would be the go-to book for every English teacher. Rather than teaching out of textbooks, this book could be creatively used to teach literary terms to students. Each page displays a different literary term, and the mice cleverly define each the terms within the context of the nursery rhyme.

4. Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12 by Teri Lesesne

If you want to get kids reading, this book has phenomenal advice. I recommend it to any teacher who wants techniques to match readers to books. I am not sure if it is underrated, but because I recommend it so often to teachers, I am going to add it to my list. 🙂

5. Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

I was blown away by this book when I read it this year. I know it received the Morris Award, but I wish I heard it referenced more, and I find it to be underrated. It is absolutely brilliant and belongs in every classroom.

Kellee

Picking only 5 books was really tough. There are so many great books out there that deserve to have more readers.

1. The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

Just one example of many amazing historical fiction books that are not in enough hands. Berlin Boxing Club is such a unique book, and so well written.

2. Curseworkers series by Holly Black

This is a great series that I felt fell by the wayside during the whole dystopian hype. (And the audiobook is phenomenal!)

3. Airborn and Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

I put these books on a lot of my favorite book lists because I am a huge fan of Kenneth Oppel. His books in general deserve more credit.

4. Jumping off the Swings and Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles

These two books are some of the best YA I read in the last year. Jo Knowles has a way of writing about tough subjects in a very accessible way. (See You at Harry’s is another example.)

5. Ginny Rorby books

I know I talk about her all of the time, but I really love her books. Read what I think about them and Ginny here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Which books do you think deserve more credit?

and

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/8/14

July 27, 2015September 8, 2014 by Kellee

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

Tuesday: Top Ten Book Characters That Would Be Sitting At My Lunch Table

Friday: Laurie Calkhoven Guest Post

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This last week seemed to be filled to the brim for us! I know I have the same time in the evenings as I did a few weeks ago, but they seem to go by so quickly, and I feel like I am busy every second. Hopefully it will slow down soon! Luckily, I was able to finish Be a Changemaker by Laurie Ann Thompson which we will share with you this week. So inspiring.

Trent and I read some fun picture books this week as well. Our favorites were:

We watched Pete the Cat on YouTube, and I’ve had the song in my head ever since.
I read Trent Green Eggs and Ham for the first time. I’ve been waiting to read it to him until he could fit into his Green Eggs and Ham shirt. I loved reading it! What fun rhyming and rhythm.
At school, I found a book, You are my Work of Art, at school that I bought years ago for my future child, so I brought it home and read it to him. What a great way to introduce young children to art, and it is so sweet as well.
Based off of recommendations, we got Ninja! by Arree Chung. What a fun imagination book!

Ricki: I turned thirty this week. Ahh! Luckily, Henry kept me distracted, so I didn’t have to worry about my age. I am embarrassed that I didn’t read much YA this week. I read about 30 scholarly articles and chapters for my classes. Henry and I read Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young and enjoyed it. And there are four board books on my living room floor that I must have read with Henry close to sixty times this week. Our favorite board book (which we have read hundreds of times now) is Mem Fox’s Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Those of you who follow the blog might remember this is one of my favorites to read with him.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: This week I am going to start Rory’s Promise by Michaela MacColl in preparation for a future blog post, and I will continue to read Allie Gator and the Seven Stones on my phone (though admittedly, I didn’t get to read any last week!). Hopefully this upcoming week is a bit slower, so I can find more reading time in my days.

Ricki: Like Kellee, I am hoping to start Rory’s Promise and also Allie Condie’s Atlantia. I don’t suspect I will have much time to read others. As it is, I read from 7pm-2am each night to keep up with my coursework. I am not complaining! It is all very interesting. 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Underrated Books

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!

and

Author Guest Post!: Turning Young Readers on to Historical Fiction by Laurie Calkhoven, author of the Boys of Wartime series

July 27, 2015September 5, 2014 by Kellee

“Turning Young Readers on to Historical Fiction” by Laurie Calkhoven

It’s hard to believe that something as small as a broken egg could change the course of American history, but one did. It was March of 1775 and the fifth anniversary of the Boston Massacre. The Sons of Liberty planned a church service at Old South Meeting House to honor the men who had died. All of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, indeed all Patriots in Boston, would be in attendance.

The Redcoats had a plan to bring the colonial rebellion to an end. They ordered a soldier to go to the meeting and throw an egg at the speaker. An insult like that would start a riot, and they intended to arrest the leaders of the Sons of Liberty—Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, and the others—and ship them to England to stand trial for starting a riot. The British thought that with the leaders out of the way, those hotheads in Boston would settle down and stop their foolish rebellion.

The reason why you haven’t read about those arrests in your history texts is that the soldier fell on his way to the service. Not only did he break the egg. He hurt his leg so badly that he didn’t make it to the meeting at all. There were no arrests. The rebellion lived on. The next time the Redcoats went after those leaders, war erupted in Lexington and Concord.

That egg incident, one I came across in long out-of-print history of the time period, frames the beginning of my novel Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776. Daniel helps foil the British plan and goes on to do much more, but if not for that broken egg, there wouldn’t be a story to tell.

Historical fiction can be a hard sell for young readers. Many of them expect it to be boring. When I visit schools and talk to young readers, I always begin by telling them stories—true stories. Soon they’re hooked. They want to know what happens next.

Kids love wacky facts, and so in my Civil War novel (Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863), I included the fact that on the first night of the battle six-year-old Mary McLean stuck her head out of her window and sang a song to the Confederate soldiers who had taken her town—a song about their President, Jefferson Davis:

Hang Jeff Davis from a sour apple tree.

Mary’s father thought the whole family would be shot, but the Rebel soldiers only laughed and sang their own song about President Lincoln.

My latest Boys of Wartime novel, Michael at the Invasion of France, 1943, is about a boy who helps shot-down and trapped American airmen evade the Nazis in a World War II version of the Underground Railroad. Kids love to hear about all the everyday American habits that gave the men away. Things like walking with their hands in their pockets, or whistling—two things French men never did.

My Boys of Wartime novels are about ordinary boys who get caught up in extraordinary moments in history—they become spies for General Washington, help save the Union, and resist the Nazis. One ordinary person—just like them—and small ordinary moments can change the course of history. I research extensively to fill my novels with real-life action and adventure stories to keep my readers turning the pages.

All kinds weird, wacky, and wonderful stories never make it into our history textbooks. Historical fiction is full of those stories. Once your young readers figure that out, they’ll be back for more.

About the author: Laurie Calkhoven is the author of nearly fifty books for young readers including the Boys of Wartime series and I Grew Up to be President. Find CCSS activities and learn about her school visit program at lauriecalkhoven.com.

Thank you Laurie for your post!

Teaching Critical Theory to ALL Students

April 22, 2023September 4, 2014 by Ricki

Commentary on Deborah Appleman’s Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents

This professional development text made me reconsider my teaching philosophy. I’ve used lenses before. In my college credit course (for high school students), I asked students to use nonfiction and fiction as lenses to view other texts. It felt academic, and I believe my students benefited from this skill, but Appleman takes theory a step beyond what I was doing. As a graduate of English Education, critical theory was familiar to me, but I always felt as if I had to teach theory in a hidden way. We talked about gender, but I never told students they were using critical theory.

For most teachers, critical theory is important for advanced placement, high school English classrooms. Appleman provides scaffolding and proves that theory can be used in grades 6-12 and for all levels. Her materials are accessible and engaging.

According to Appleman, teachers should use literary theory as critical lenses to help students understand the ideologies inherent in texts (p. 3) and use skills of reading and writing to come learn about the world (p. 2). When students read, there are multiple contexts at play, and she provides theoretical grounding and examples of various lenses for teachers: reader response, privilege and social class, gender, post colonialism, and deconstruction. Each lens has its own chapter in her book.

Students bring their own contexts to their reading of a text, so using critical theory allows them to view the literature through a different lens. Reading, interpretation and criticism are all important skills, and too often, teachers “relegate only the reading to students” (p. 6), and through Appleman’s suggestions, we give students authority and power.

No matter how uncomfortable it feels, students should learn to question the notion of a single truth and show the multiplicities that exist in reading. “Meanings are constructed; we create meanings that are influenced by who we are and what we are culturally; historically; psychologically; and, in the case of the Baker version of Miss Muffet, vocationally” (p. 20). Reading allows students to gain perspective of other lenses and theories, but also of their own lives, where the text acts as an equal partner with the reader (p. 31).

There are a plethora of activities and lessons for teachers in the appendix of the book. This book is extremely practical, and I felt as if I could immediately employ the ideas in the classroom, given the resources Appleman provides. I highly recommend this text to teachers.

The Man with the Violin by Kathy Stinson (Kellee’s Review)

September 3, 2014 by Kellee

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!

The Man with the Violin
Author: Kathy Stinson
Illustrated: Dušan Petričić
Published August 8, 2013 by Annick Press

Goodreads Summary: “Who is playing that beautiful music in the subway? And why is nobody listening?”

This gorgeous picture book is based on the true story of Joshua Bell, the renowned American violinist who famously took his instrument down into the Washington D.C. subway for a free concert. More than a thousand commuters rushed by him, but only seven stopped to listen for more than a minute. In “The Man With the Violin,” bestselling author Kathy Stinson has woven a heart-warming story that reminds us all to stop and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.

Dylan is someone who notices things. His mom is someone who doesn’t. So try as he might, Dylan can’t get his mom to listen to the man playing the violin in the subway station. But Dylan is swept away by the soaring and swooping notes that fill the air as crowds of oblivious people rush by. With the beautiful music in his head all day long, Dylan can’t forget the violinist, and finally succeeds in making his mother stop and listen, too.

Vividly imagined text combined with illustrations that pulse with energy and movement expertly demonstrate the transformative power of music. With an afterword explaining Joshua Bell’s story, and a postscript by Joshua Bell himself.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I must preface by saying that this book is not technically nonfiction. It is based on nonfiction, but the story is actually made up.

Too often our days go by without us slowing down and taking anything in. It may be that we are busy or stressed or late , but it has become too common to see people always rushing wherever they are going. This book shows how much we may be missing out on. It also shows the innocence of childhood, and how we need to allow children to explore and slow down even if we are moving fast. It is wonderful how the illustrations capture this for the reader. Combined with the story, this one definitely hits close to home.

Ricki also had some great thoughts and ideas in her review.

Discussion Questions: This book is an important discussion starter. What have you seen recently that was beautiful that others didn’t notice?; Sit ____ and listen to the sounds around you. What do you hear that is beautiful?; Why do you think people didn’t stop to hear Joshua Bell play?; Why did the author feel this was an important story to turn into a picture book?

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Loved: The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon, Marvin Makes Music by Marvin Hamlisch

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Annick Press and Netgalley for providing a copy for review**

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Characters Who Would Be Sitting At Our Lunch Table

September 2, 2014 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Top Ten Book Characters Who Would Be Sitting At Our Lunch Table

We are back at school, and we can’t wait to dine with these characters!

Ricki

I decided to go the food route because I love to eat!

1. Strega Nona from Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

BRING ON THE PASTA!

2. Sal and his mother from Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Let’s enjoy blueberries together!

3. Lucy Knisley from Relish by Lucky Knisley

Hopefully, we can convince Lucy to bring some of her homemade treats for us.

4. The Caterpillar from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Just because it is famous and likes to eat as much as I do, I would love for the caterpillar to join us. We will have some tasty treats available!

5. The setting of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

An excellently depicted setting can be like a character. I would like to eat in the setting that exists in the first few pages of this book (before things got crazy, of course).

Kellee

I went a bit different with this than Ricki. I decided to think about what teachers I would like to eat lunch with now.

1. Miss Stretchberry from Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

Miss Stretchberry really knows how to reach students, had some amazing ideas, and is overall such a wonderful teacher.

2. Miss Cassidy from Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott

Miss Cassidy wouldn’t let Sam and Luis disappear. She obviously cares about all of her students, and that is a type of teacher I would want to hang out with.

3. Mr. McQueen from Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Mr. McQueen helps Travis and other struggling readers realize that they aren’t stupid, and that reading isn’t an anomaly but something they can do. I would love to talk to him about his strategies.

4. Miss Movado from The Summer of May by Cecilia Galante

Miss Movado doesn’t give up on May when everyone, including May, has given up on her. She changes her life in one summer.

5. Mr. Browne from Wonder by RJ Palacio

I love Mr. Browne and his precepts, and really makes his students think (though makes it fun). I’d love to pick his brain.

Who would you invite to your lunch table?

and

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/1/14

July 27, 2015September 1, 2014 by Kellee

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

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’ve Owned for a Long Time but Haven’t Read

Wednesday: How Being a Mom Has Changed My Identity (Kellee)

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: School is taking up a bit more of my time than I anticipated (I was just told I was teaching a new class a week ago, so I am working on building a curriculum for the class in addition to my journalism class and being reading coach), so I am not having as much reading time as I’d like. During my week, though, I was able to read a phenomenal graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell. I loved it, and my students are going to love it. When reading it it automatically connected to Smile and Hurt Go Happy in my brain. I also read 3 picture books that I really liked: How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge, Manfish by Jennifer Berne, and The New Girl…and Me by Jacqui Robbins.

Trent and I read some awesome picture books this week. The most important one we read this week was a photo book that my mom made of Trent’s first visit to Chattanooga. It is in chronological order and chronicles his time there. I love how she put it together, and I love that Trent and I can revisit any time we want!

Our other favorites were:

Pardon Me by Daniel Miayres is a book that reminds me a bit of Hat Back, but not so much that it didn’t seem unique. Cracked me up!
Oliver by Brigitta Sif is a new empathy book for me. It was great and I LOVE Oliver.
The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett is a beautiful wordless picture book that I loved sharing with Trent. The ending was superb.
Big Bug by Henry Cole gives a great introduction to perspective.

We also read Gravity by Jason Chin and Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan, which were both recommended, but I just didn’t love them as much as I wanted to. Jim really liked Summer, but I just didn’t connect with it.

Ricki: First of all, I want to publicly apologize for not visiting more blogs this week. Reading other educators’ blogs is one of the highlights of my week. I don’t always comment, but I am constantly perusing, and I love learning from you all. Last week, I started school, and I was overwhelmed by the massive amount of work on the syllabi I received. I am back on the wagon, and I am sorry!

I will be sneaking YAL into my coursework, but please expect to see a lot of PD texts. I will post reviews highlighting the best PD texts I find. Of course, you can expect to see the usual YAL in reviews, as well. This week, I read Judith A Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan’s Teaching Young Adult Literature Today. I have a review scheduled for next Thursday, September 11th because there was no space in the blog this week. This text highlights the great things that are happening in the field. Some good friends for the ALAN Workshop are featured authors, and I learned much from them. This is a must-read for scholars and educators in the field.

Henry and I read two phenomenal picture books. I bet some of you have read them, too! We fell into Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles. My husband and I loved this book and plan to purchase it. This is the best picture book I have read that addresses racism and discrimination. It is also a tale of friendship. We also loved the duality that existed in The Letter Home by Timothy Decker. If you haven’t read either of these books, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently reading Be a Changemaker by Lauria Ann Thompson, and I am finding it very inspiring and well done. I will finish it this week. I also am reading Allie Gator and the Seven Stones by Sean Eckenrod on my phone, so it may take a while to finish it because it isn’t an every day book. Trent and I are going to continue working through the picture books I got from the library after reading IMWAYR posts.

Ricki: I was fortunate to receive a copy of Atlantia by Ally Condie. I am excited to read this one. I will also be reading qualitative research methods texts. I was thinking about trying Rosenblatt’s Literature as Exploration this week, too. It is very widely cited, and I want to learn more from this great text. Reader Response is awesome, no? 🙂

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Book Characters That Would Be Sitting At My Lunch Table

Friday: Laurie Calkhoven Guest Post

So, what are you reading?

and