tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56734266328898899022024-02-22T17:02:47.502-05:00Classic Six BooksA book for every story.By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-31424034807526322842020-01-18T16:38:00.003-05:002020-01-18T16:38:27.068-05:00Dreams to Goals to Plans<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been writing for about nine years. And when I say writing, I fully concede that "writing" is relative. To be honest, I haven't been trying very hard. In that time I have begun and abandoned countless drafts while also completing the first drafts of two middle-grade novels. I have done the bare minimum of revisions and there's only one word for why this is so: lazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I turn 50 this summer, I want to change my habits, because clearly my old habits just aren't working! What will I do differently this decade to move forward? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have taken some steps recently to prepare myself for a move to a new genre: the traditional or cozy mystery. They are the types of book I enjoy reading most, and I look forward to the challenge of writing my own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first thing I did is purchase </span><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Selling-Mystery-Revised-Expanded/dp/1440347166/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3CXFGJ34DF3Z7&keywords=writing+and+selling+your+mystery+novel&qid=1579382408&sprefix=writing+and+selling+%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded Edition: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, and Crime</b></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"> by Hallie Ephron. It was recommended by the very kind, talented, helpful <a href="https://kellyegarrett.com/" target="_blank">Kellye Garrett</a>, the Agatha Award-winning author of the Detective by Day mystery series (Hollywood Homicide is the first). I love that Ms. Ephron's book guides you step-by-step in the process of planning your mystery - I needed this because, as a novice mystery writer, I was unsure about what to do first. Where do I start? The crime? The suspects? Do I develop my sleuth first? I just love it and find it so helpful. I had the 60+ pages of planning sheets (which come with a purchase of the online edition which I also bought) printed out at my local print shop and had it bound so I can carry my "workbook" with me at all times.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;">Second, I signed up to attend the <a href="http://malicedomestic.org/" target="_blank">Malice Domestic</a> conference. If nothing else, I know that it will be extremely inspiring, and I'm looking forward to meeting some <a href="https://www.sistersincrime.org/" target="_blank">Sisters in Crime</a> members and a few of the mystery authors I know.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;">The third thing I've been doing is reading traditional and cozy mysteries, and also watching them on the screen. It's really helpful to do this after having read Hallie Ephron's book, because I can see or read her advice "in action". </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;">So this little space is just to help keep me accountable and to make sure that my dreams are backed by goals and plans. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;">Until my next Saturday update, keep reading and keep writing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-58132124163196353712019-10-28T18:50:00.001-04:002019-10-28T18:50:48.980-04:00Halloween Rehearsal
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<o:p>I am so glad to have stumbled upon Susanna Leonard Hill's 9th Annual<a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank"> Halloweensie Writing Contest</a>. It provided me with a bit of seasonal inspiration and it was a delight to write again.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>* * * *</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p><i>Halloween Rehearsal</i></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Cobweb-woven spider-dreams<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Goblins practice silent screams<o:p></o:p></div>
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Potions perk and cauldron steams.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Soon comes Halloween.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Catch a newt and hairy eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Train some bats to pierce the sky.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rattle bones so bare and dry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here comes Halloween.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dragons run their shiny scales<o:p></o:p></div>
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Black cats hunch and quiver tails<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ghosts fan out unfurl like sails<o:p></o:p></div>
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Close to Halloween.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Last glance in the mirror, quick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fix your hat and grab your stick<o:p></o:p></div>
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Candy bag should do the trick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now it’s Halloween.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-31348343207014324092018-02-06T15:48:00.002-05:002018-02-06T15:52:45.276-05:00Resources for the Debut Writer . . . Over 40!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/@kmweiland">K.M. Weiland</a> asked "<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;">Writing Question of the Day: What specific criticism do you hear most often from your internal critic?" for her </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WQOTD?src=hash" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); color: #3b5831; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">#WQOTD</a> .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I answered that my internal critic is constantly harping on my age: I'm 47 and for some reason my internal critic keeps telling me that debut authors don't exist after the age of 45, or even 40, for that matter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My brain knows this is not true. My heart, on the other hand, needs some reassurance. I thought maybe some others might need this sort of reassurance too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I would start with a few resources specifically geared towards writers over 45. I hope these are helpful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>General Encouragement</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Remember I said that my brain knows it's not true that debut authors over 40 don't exist? Here are some current websites that list those over 40-ers.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's an excellent annotated <a href="http://www.randysusanmeyers.com/blog/2016/01/debut-novels-by-writers-over-40/">list</a> by Randy Susan Meyers on her blog Word Love. She updated this list in 2016 <b>"</b><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b3138;">in the interest</span><em style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #2b3138; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> not </em></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b3138;"><b>of division, but of keeping up the flagging spirits of those who don’t want to be pushed out on the ice floe"</b>. LOL.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://theprimewriters.com/">The Prime Writers</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b3138;"> A website featuring 60 writers who have one thing in common: they published their debut book when over the age of 40.<br /></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This encouraging <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/goodlife/living/the-authors-who-prove-its-never-too-late-to-write-a-book/">article</a><span style="color: #2b3138;">, entitled, The Authors Who Prove It's Never Too Late to Write a Book, was published last February's (2017) on The Telegraph website.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2b3138; font-family: "georgia" , "palatino"; font-size: 16px;"><b>Grants & Awards</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b3138; font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li>If you are over 50 and a member of <a href="https://www.scbwi.org/" style="background-color: transparent;">SCBWI</a>, don't forget about <a href="https://www.scbwi.org/awards/grants/work-in-progress-grants/karen-and-philip-cushman-late-bloomer-award/" style="background-color: transparent;">The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer award</a>. Support includes a $500 prize and a paid conference fee to a SCBWI conference. (BTW, deadline is during the month of March)</li>
</ul>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-91849776595948930092015-11-28T09:43:00.001-05:002015-11-28T09:43:07.251-05:00Room with a Review: The Hollow Boy<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvm0vrqxmIAS2vamf8D1ZhbA5yt6TT7Ygne3VD77pYTu2zuMXT0LrjulXU8kGlfKlajhODwPvgwWAKLIChW7zaa7ItDVCBOby_InCROmEk_xdtRlLYVCM7KKLsctgPRtJ1hxtO71X45k/s1600/The_Hollow_Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvm0vrqxmIAS2vamf8D1ZhbA5yt6TT7Ygne3VD77pYTu2zuMXT0LrjulXU8kGlfKlajhODwPvgwWAKLIChW7zaa7ItDVCBOby_InCROmEk_xdtRlLYVCM7KKLsctgPRtJ1hxtO71X45k/s320/The_Hollow_Boy.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Title:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>The Hollow Boy</i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">Author:</b><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> Jonathan Stroud</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">Illustrator:</b><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.kateadamsillustration.com/book-illustration.html" style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;" target="_blank">Kate Adams</a><br />
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<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">Month/Year Published:</b><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> September 2015</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">You May Know Him:</b><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> As the author of the Bartimaeus series, which I've never read, btw!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">You May Find Him:</b><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> On </span><a href="http://jonathanstroud.tumblr.com/" style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;" target="_blank">tumblr</a><span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;"> or on twitter </span><a href="http://twitter.com/jonathanastroud" style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;" target="_blank">@jonathanastroud</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Delta/Plus: </b>Lockwood & Co. are back in the third installment of creepy ghost hunting: <i>The Hollow Boy</i>. This time, the trio of Lucy, George and Anthony Lockwood are busier than ever thanks to their Agency's moderate successes. So scattered are they, in fact, that Lockwood decides to hire an assistant, Holly Munro, </span>whose uber-efficiency and collectedness is of extreme annoyance to Lucy. When an extreme outbreak occurs in London, necessitating the talents (and rivalries) of multiple agencies, intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts come to a head adding a rather personal twist to this book in the series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I first discovered Lockwood & Co. last year when I happened to pick up a copy of the first book in the series, <i>The Screaming Staircase</i>, at our Scholastic book fair. I read it in no time, added it to my school library (K-5) and then snatched up <i>The Whispering Skull</i> (which introduced readers to one of my favorite characters, I should say) immediately. I love the setting of the Lockwood books: a London that is in the past (nah, too much technology), the present or the future? The reader's not quite sure. It's all at once modern and gothic, sleek and bedraggled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For me <i>The Hollow Boy</i> progressed a bit more slowly the other books, but by the end, I was, as usual, completely creeped out and starting at the tiniest noise in the house. The cliffhanger confirmed my suspicions that <i>The Hollow Bo</i>y is not the final book in the series, which leaves me with only one question: how long do we have to wait for book four?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6px;">{I purchased this book with my own funds</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6px;">.}</span></i></span></span></div>
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By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-34807694801160856542015-10-17T21:50:00.002-04:002015-10-17T21:54:14.534-04:00Room with a Review: The Tiara on the Terrace<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMHJxb11PtWIhzTRXfZVnR_cPmmq2Yu46aFYiiHxeFG8kGbW6Cm8v-1UV-hRpE33UELEze918A6K1bZF0leGpCM4BJi7srTEDc2hSH-fNeIiRKvQ2fSFcyVd9Yz6iMifT5_eSIAmt-GQ/s1600/tiaracover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMHJxb11PtWIhzTRXfZVnR_cPmmq2Yu46aFYiiHxeFG8kGbW6Cm8v-1UV-hRpE33UELEze918A6K1bZF0leGpCM4BJi7srTEDc2hSH-fNeIiRKvQ2fSFcyVd9Yz6iMifT5_eSIAmt-GQ/s320/tiaracover.png" width="216" /></a></div>
<b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Title:</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i>The Tiara on the Terrace</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Author:</b> Kristen Kittscher</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Illustrator:</b> <a href="http://www.marcoscalo.com/" target="_blank">Marcos Calos</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Month/Year Published:</b> Expected publication date January 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>You May Know Her:</b> As the author of the first book in the series, <i>The Wig in the Window</i> (reviewed by me <a href="http://classic6books.blogspot.com/2013/04/title-wig-in-window-year-published-june.html">here</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>You May Find Her:</b> On her <a href="http://www.kristenkittscher.com/">blog</a> or on twitter @KKittscher</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Delta/Plus: </b>It's been a long wait, but middle school-aged BFFs Grace Yang and Sophie Young were probably just busy wrapping up their latest mystery before typing up the case notes for their loyal readers. Author Kristen Kittscher does not disappoint with her second adventure featuring the pair. It not only includes secret codes and suspicious emails, but friendships that change and evolve based on time and circumstances. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no shortage of sleuthing and mayhem in <i>The Tiara on the Terrace</i>, but this time Kittscher leaves school behind, setting this mystery on Luna Vista's Winter Sun Festival float route (which resembles a slightly less elaborate version of the Rose Bowl Parade albeit with a twist of murder). When the winter solstice festival organizer Jim Steptoe becomes, well, shall we say, S'Mored, Grace and Sophie cannot resist their passion for solving crimes, becoming embedded detectives in the Float's Royal Court.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>The Wig in the Window </i>tech-expert Trista Bottoms was one of my favorite characters so I was happy to see her get her moment in the Luna Vista Sun...Festival. Grace and Sophie seem to have decided that three heads are better than two when tracking down the killer of the Festival organizer and, in this case, three is not a crowd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One observation on <i>muuuurder</i>: I felt that <i>The Wig in the Window</i>, due to the circumstances of the suspect's...er...prior...er...experiences (hashtag no spoilers!), the book was a bit more appropriate for MS-aged students and above. In the case of <i>The Tiara on the Terrace</i>, I would feel comfortable adding it to my elementary school collection and recommending it to my fourth and fifth graders. And of course we have to ask: will there be a book three, Ms. Kittscher? This reader, for one, is looking forward to more adventures and to learning more details about the lives of Grace, Sophie and Trista (and perhaps Rod?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6px;">{Thank you to the author for providing me with a free ARC of </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6px;">The Wig in the Window</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6px;">, no strings attached.}</span></span></div>
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By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-70998257028489965022015-07-15T14:34:00.002-04:002015-07-15T14:34:42.085-04:00Edge of Their Seats Every Time<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes when I get a little bit anxious about how I'm doing as an elementary school librarian, I pick up an old favorite and sneak a peek at my audience as I'm reading. Sometimes I see them sitting with their hands over their ears but eyes wide, sometimes they put their fingers over their eyes with just a teeny bit of separation so that they don't miss out entirely, other times it is just a silent group of children, each looking up at the book with their jaws hung slack. Sometimes I can hardly get through the book...what with the laughter. Sometimes at the end of the book my students applaud. <b> </b></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spontaneously.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not a movie they're watching. They are listening to another human being read written words on a page. It amazes me, sometimes, the power of the read-aloud. I love when I read a sentence and a child says, "I love how he said that." Um...that was me saying it that way. But really I'm just the go-between, the middle-woman if you will. I will never forget when I had a high school senior with me for two weeks for her high school Senior Experience. She was from Australia and she read the students <b>Possum Magic</b>. I was one of those students with my jaw hung slack. I can never read that book aloud again...I've been spoiled by her reading of it. For the following read-alouds I rarely stop to ask questions or to check for understanding. There's plenty of time for that. I don't want to break the spell.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are three books that I read to my first grade students every year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9YNx3qNSjGGmHbu06lv8XROjd7hW61ZfOIWjxmpbOO7kmVqCt6DGHlt1JI27bGbIodTO50W-boaau-XcV-okaA-kI1oXECSqWUI0OdSNfv2okLdw_msbPqz-wbPPyBW1pJav7DQJGnY/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9YNx3qNSjGGmHbu06lv8XROjd7hW61ZfOIWjxmpbOO7kmVqCt6DGHlt1JI27bGbIodTO50W-boaau-XcV-okaA-kI1oXECSqWUI0OdSNfv2okLdw_msbPqz-wbPPyBW1pJav7DQJGnY/s1600/download.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Epossumondas Saves the Day</u> :: by <a href="http://coleensalley.com/" target="_blank">Coleen Salley</a> :: Illustrated by Janet Stevens</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure it looks humorous enough except when you get to the Great, Huge, Ugly, Louisiana Snapping Turtle. Read it to my Firsties every year and I never get tired of it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNr4XVmkW2DCn1knEPEBsXr4sfD9PzEFAcE341zKsF1_2h2-Q3sQeLrPBz3Wj1WUDwoF4xdXzuEQ-lod5zZzQNIuQTOqH2ce2htGHRpMUlSMENYf340hYwS14TYpTBUler0nZV8gthGg/s1600/My_Best_Friend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNr4XVmkW2DCn1knEPEBsXr4sfD9PzEFAcE341zKsF1_2h2-Q3sQeLrPBz3Wj1WUDwoF4xdXzuEQ-lod5zZzQNIuQTOqH2ce2htGHRpMUlSMENYf340hYwS14TYpTBUler0nZV8gthGg/s1600/My_Best_Friend.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mary-ann-rodman/my-best-friend-3/" target="_blank">My Best Friend </a>:: by Mary Ann Rodman :: Illustrated by E. B. Lewis</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's nothing scary about this book, but my Firsties or Kinders are captivated by it. They are on pins and needles wondering what's going to happen to Lily. Will Tamika finally accept her as she is? Will it take just another bathing suit change or half a popsicle to make them BFFs? Friendships are so important to these little guys and I use this book whenever I can tell there's a little bit of friendship strife going on in the classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u><a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299101/each-kindness-by-jacqueline-woodson-illustrated-by-e-b-lewis/" target="_blank">Each Kindness</a></u> :: Jacqueline Woodson :: Illustrated by E. B. Lewis</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hmmm...okay, another book illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Not intentional but there is no doubt that illustrations add to the allure of these picture books. I read <i>Each Kindness</i> to each of my three first grade classes last year. The reaction was literally stunned silence. And if you know Firsties you know how monumental this is! Then chatter. "Maybe she came back." "Maybe the author will write a second book." Lots of hoping and wishing when this read-aloud was finished. Sometimes you don't get second chances and I think this book made that a little bit more real for my compassionate Firsties. Afterwards we wrote our acts of kindness on paper pebbles and set them on a paper pond, imagining the ripple effect.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What captivating tales do you read to your first graders every year?</span></div>
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<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-66413729240547059492015-04-22T17:13:00.001-04:002015-05-23T14:12:46.476-04:00Interview with Robin Stevens - Murder Is Bad Manners<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8R7MBkkkhaibx6q3sdOd3Ficf8yWhKXB77nc9FXhWAya6gX5IkHg4GPuMK2LBk4kJMMBMUC4jr1IANNLVbsdWA2PP32u6JTZ8x6YUfKciT8WwB04c_91vMozKoKlmDeXro0RIXFJJf8/s1600/MurderIsBadManners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8R7MBkkkhaibx6q3sdOd3Ficf8yWhKXB77nc9FXhWAya6gX5IkHg4GPuMK2LBk4kJMMBMUC4jr1IANNLVbsdWA2PP32u6JTZ8x6YUfKciT8WwB04c_91vMozKoKlmDeXro0RIXFJJf8/s1600/MurderIsBadManners.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">The US cover of Murder is Bad Manners</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dear Robin, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amy B: Welcome to the U.S.!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Robin Stevens: Thank you! It’s lovely to be here at last!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: I discovered your book "Murder Most Unladylike" when it first came out in the UK and I had to order it from the UK to read. Now it's here in the U.S. with its new title "Murder is Bad Manners". You're originally from the U.S. yourself, although you moved when you were quite young. Do you think Americans read mysteries differently from UK readers?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RS: I am! I was born in California, and still hold an American passport. I’m proud of belonging to both countries, and actually, Daisy and Hazel are as much influenced by Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown as they are by Poirot and the Famous Five. I think that we all bring our own cultural experience to the books we read, so I’m very pleased that you guys are going to see my heroines in the context of all of the American mysteries I grew up on – stuff that my British readers miss! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: Wells & Wong could easily have been Wells & Wagner or Wells & Watkins. What made you decide that Hazel Wong's family was from Hong Kong. Did you plan that or did you discover she was from Hong Kong as you wrote your book?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RS: Hazel’s nationality was one of the first things I knew about the book, actually. Most of my own friends at school were Hong Kong Chinese, so I grew up hearing their stories about their home lives, and the differences they noticed between England and Hong Kong. I think I connected to them because we were all from non-traditional English boarding school backgrounds: none of us fit in, and all of us slightly felt as though we were intruding on something. And, as a kid who read a lot of boarding school stories, I noticed that people who thought like us – and looked like them – didn’t feature at all. That made me cross, and I decided that when I wrote my own boarding school stories, I’d do something to redress the balance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: I would imagine that a mystery writer has to be more of a plotter than a pantser. Is this true? What types of things surprised you even after you nailed your plot down?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">RS: After a very painful redraft of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murder is Bad Manners</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when I first signed with my agent, I decided that I needed to learn how to be a plotter. I’m now fanatical about nailing down the exact events around each one of my murders – I do a huge spreadsheet with each character’s actions filled in in five or ten minute slots, to make sure that everyone’s alibis check out, and the right people see each other at the right time. Other than that, though, I’m looser – I have a basic idea of where I’m going and how I want to get there, but I like to leave room for my characters to breathe. I have to keep myself interested as I write – it’s a story I’m telling myself, so I’ve got to want to keep going!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: As an elementary school librarian I find that my students are always up for a good mystery. What is it about mysteries, do you think, that are so captivating for children?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RS: I think it’s partly the puzzle, and partly the rush of a pacy, exciting story – but I think the pull for kids also has a lot to do with the fact that they’re seeing people like them, totally in control of the story. Child detectives aren’t just the heroes, they’re driving the entire plot, and at the end of the day they get to outsmart the adults. That is so exciting to see when you’re nine and you spend your real life being ordered around by the grown-ups in your life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: "Bunbreaks" seem to be an integral part of life in a 1930s boarding school and Murder Is Bad Manners. Please describe for our American readers what exactly this entails.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RS: Bunbreak is a very exciting and important concept that I learned when I was at school. It’s really just another word for morning break – we would pause lessons at 11am and eat some cookies or a slice of cake – but it was the highlight of the day for us, as it is for Hazel and Daisy. I’ve slightly broadened the concept of bunbreak to mean any moment when you stop what you’re doing to enjoy a sweet treat, and it’s caught on hugely over here. A lot of my readers have taken pictures of themselves having a bunbreak with the book, and I hope Americans will embrace it in the same way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AB: And finally, if readers wanted to sound particularly 1930s British, what expression would you have us add to our vocabulary? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">RB: Ooh! I do like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">spiffing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (fantastic) for everyday use. I’m also a fan of words like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">waxy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (angry) and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pax</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (peace) – some of them have made it into the book, but some had to be cut. I read a lot of 1930s books and I love soaking up the language in them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AB: Thank you Robin for taking time to answer my questions. I can't wait to see what Wells & Wong are up to next.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To discover more about Robin Stevens and about Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong, visit her <a href="http://robin-stevens.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> or follow her on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/redbreastedbird" target="_blank">twitter</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read more about Murder is Bad Manners at <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Murder-Is-Bad-Manners/Robin-Stevens/A-Wells-Wong-Mystery/9781481422147" target="_blank">Simon and Schuster</a> or <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robin-stevens/murder-is-bad-manners/" target="_blank">Kirkus Reviews</a> {starred review!}</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">All books by Robin Stevens were purchased on my own - well worth giving up my bun break fund.</span></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-73566679311330446522015-02-04T14:11:00.000-05:002015-02-04T14:11:01.628-05:00Why I Bought It Wednesday<b>Hello Good Readers!</b><br />
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I just received my first book shipment of 2015! Some people need to bungie-cord off bridges or go sky-diving to get their heart pumping, but for me just opening those boxes of new books is enough to make my heart go pitter-patter.<br />
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Here are five books and why I bought them.<br />
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You can see the others on my Pinterest Boards, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jamestownreads/finally-new-books-for-2015/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jamestownreads/box-two-for-2015/" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of Food Trucks! Written and illustrated by Mark Todd</td></tr>
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<b>Why I Bought It:</b> No, it's not because I loved the move Chef, although that may have had something to do with with it. Each page highlights a different type of food truck and gives a description in verse. It's cataloged as an "E" book but I may have to move it to my 811s as I will definitely want to highlight this book when doing poetry with my students. Additional food-related quick facts add even more interest to this colorful, energetic book! Here's the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/books/brian-flocas-five-trucks-and-mark-todds-food-trucks.html?_r=0" target="_blank">review</a> in the New York Times book section. Bon appetite!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEsmoRkXjA6jzYQfSmziLP1IX7pFV48DjeHWnr9gBYKHXNwpkx8Kz8fxEJDi6Tuakfa5Pe6Tc0xi_umeNk702PfouxU9wY7QPMLsLqDuPhYbX7kXoGu9C-xm99NPdz4egd49HkLIVpLw/s1600/9781419710544_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEsmoRkXjA6jzYQfSmziLP1IX7pFV48DjeHWnr9gBYKHXNwpkx8Kz8fxEJDi6Tuakfa5Pe6Tc0xi_umeNk702PfouxU9wY7QPMLsLqDuPhYbX7kXoGu9C-xm99NPdz4egd49HkLIVpLw/s1600/9781419710544_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b>Why I Bought It:</b> Well kiss my brain for actually purchasing this book BEFORE it won a Pure Belpre award this year. But really I buy every thing by <a href="http://www.duncantonatiuh.com/" target="_blank">Duncan Tonatiuh</a>, including a perennial favorite <i>Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlGl8brseRLN7zEdggNuHSHHHWFKhRnubGbVULVUwnupDt33n9buLv7ntDYJN_NIeiAeUuZzYVU7wXnewF7ZRcRfModpt70rz4L66OFsTLCHxNbZxUoHsJQKT04kOWIMoBa5soSAc5Lk/s1600/9780805096415_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlGl8brseRLN7zEdggNuHSHHHWFKhRnubGbVULVUwnupDt33n9buLv7ntDYJN_NIeiAeUuZzYVU7wXnewF7ZRcRfModpt70rz4L66OFsTLCHxNbZxUoHsJQKT04kOWIMoBa5soSAc5Lk/s1600/9780805096415_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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<b>Why I Bought It:</b> GASP! Where have you been all my life? The idea behind this book is genius and it is executed to perfection. Selected artists are asked to draw their favorite animal and to write a brief description of why. The styles are so different and each are recognizable. Everything from Bad Kitty to Lucy Cousins. A beautiful book benefiting the <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/" target="_blank">Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art</a> in Massachusetts.</div>
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<b>Why I Bought It:</b> So here is a lesson on Listen To Your Students. I read this book. I have to say I did not care for it. My students asked me to buy it. THEY LOVE IT. Lesson: Your School Library Is Not About The Librarian. Here's the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou85rDqQ4e0" target="_blank">book trailer</a> with a wonderfully dreamy description by the author Katherine Rundell.</div>
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<b>Why I Bought It</b>: I am a huge fan of picture book biographies. I read them to all of my students, even my youngest. Here is a book by <a href="http://deborahheiligman.com/books/the-boy-who-loved-math/" target="_blank">Deborah Heiligman</a> about a person I had never even heard of before: the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos. I haven't read it yet because it's been snatched up my our school's math coach. We have so many boys who love math in our school {and girls too} that I think this is going to be a very popular pick.</div>
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And that's Why I Bought It for today!</div>
<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-69573914962755476942014-11-28T15:32:00.001-05:002014-11-28T15:34:59.253-05:00Room with a Review: Gargoyles Gone A.W.O.L<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Title:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Gargoyles Gone A.W.O.L</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Author:</b> Cl<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">émentine Beauvais</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><b>Illustrator:</b> Sarah Horne</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><b>Month/Year Published:</b> U.S. Edition expected publication date 5/15/15</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><b>You May Know Her:</b> If you live in the United Kingdom where the third <a href="http://www.clementinebeauvais.com/eng/english-books/sesame-seade-series/" target="_blank">Sesame Seade</a> mystery is already on shelves. BTW, she's also an academic at Cambridge and she writes in French as well. Wow!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><b>Review You May Not Have Seen:</b> Since her books are already popular in the United Kingdom, here's the Kirkus <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/clementine-beauvais/sleuth-on-skates/" target="_blank">review</a> of her first Sesame Seade book published in the U.S. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Okay, prepare for some name dropping, which I rarely get to do, so please indulge me. About three months ago I was on Twitter and I asked my tweeps for some recommendations for Brit Kid Lit mysteries. So my tweep {here's where the name dropping begins} Robin Stevens {author of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE, soon to be released in the US as MURDER IS BAD MANNERS} directed me to Ms. Beauvais and the Sesame Seade mysteries. I tucked that away for future reference. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Fast forward last week to the National Council of Teachers of English conference. I was meandering my way through the exhibit hall when I came to a tiny booth {here is where my name dropping fails me - I have no idea what booth I was at - I am SO SORRY booth!!} where I picked up a cute little book solely on the cover art. Then my eye traveled to the author's name...Beauvais...Beauvais...THINK! "Oh," I said. "Not what you want?" said the lovely lady at The Booth. "No! This is British!!" "Yes," said mystery lady, "it is! I'm very impressed that you knew that!" And then I skipped off with my copy of GARGOYLES GONE A.W.O.L. not believing my luck!! {I even tweeted Ms. Beauvais to let her know <--author name drop}</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">But enough about me. Welcome to Gargoyles Gone A.W.O.L, the second book in the Sesame Seade Mystery series. Sesame Seade is really Sophie Seade who lives in Cambridge (England, not Mass.) with her parents who seem to be lumps but are really ultimately quite loving. She has two chums that she pals around with {either on roller skates or a too tall bicycle} and this time the mystery involves missing gargoyles. I was a sucker for this book from basically the first page where there is a MAP {who cannot love a book with a map - although is it too late to add The Senate House? - wink, wink} and the fact that there is British jargon, slang, what-have-you, tossed around throughout the book. I'm glad this was left in the US version because frankly, my readers can handle it and honestly, who doesn't love adding a little Brit Lit Lingo to your every day vocabulary. Add a grouchy cat gone suspiciously docile and a red herring hornet and you have GARGOYLES GONE A.W.O.L. {Plus something else that will make most of GGA readers go AWWWWW but even to mention it will give away part of the mystery.}</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted, fast-paced mystery that shall find a place on my library bookshelves for my readers who already enjoy those eclectic and adventuresome Americans Judy Moody and Gooney Bird Greene.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">**This review was based on an Advance Reader's Copy I received free of charge from...SO SORRY...at NCTE. </span></span></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-38133974472421881592014-03-09T17:59:00.001-04:002014-03-09T18:02:32.919-04:00Room with a Review: Mouseheart<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSx5MM5GReyYXJkXzDCXKJfHDhiX8pcqLkTL2kCjU8gA9G8AXL-WfMJBSxPiny96ZoRGOfTdBnnK7XeD51_CcvNw7Jiq4LNcHzm-yj140aFRs7nWJq3sB1AWQaRG2SakaREHls7o09fc/s1600/Mouseheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSx5MM5GReyYXJkXzDCXKJfHDhiX8pcqLkTL2kCjU8gA9G8AXL-WfMJBSxPiny96ZoRGOfTdBnnK7XeD51_CcvNw7Jiq4LNcHzm-yj140aFRs7nWJq3sB1AWQaRG2SakaREHls7o09fc/s1600/Mouseheart.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Title:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Mouseheart</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Author:</b> Lisa Fiedler</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Illustrator</b>: Vivienne To</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Month/Year Published:</b> Expected publication date May 2014</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>You May Know Her:</b> Hmm...not really sure! We want to know <a href="http://www.mouseheart.com/" target="_blank">more</a>!</span></div>
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<b>You May Find Her:</b> Hmm... Lisa Fidler...where are yooooou?</div>
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<b>Review You May Not Have Seen:</b> Not a lot of reviews quite yet - the buzz will begin soon though!</div>
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<b>The Review</b></div>
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I'm not quite sure how I arrived by this Advanced Reader's Copy of MOUSEHEART, but let me tell you, the packaging alone, from Simon and Schuster free of charge, made me feel like I was receiving something special. Nestled in a brown paper, the book, complete with a mock-up of the book display and cover with its pyramidical (pyramidical?) illustration in colors both vibrant and muted, definitely caught my attention.</div>
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But how would this little nestled egg hold up under the boiling water scrutiny (are ya catching my egg metaphor here) of my most critical readers: my very own 3rd and 4th grade daughter and son? Would it crack under the pressure? Would the plot be too scrambled? Or would it read easy (over)? (Okay, I'm done with the egg metaphor now.)</div>
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Over the course of a week, we read this book aloud on successive evenings. Here is what my own reviewers thought of this forthcoming book, the first in a trilogy.</div>
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My fourth grade son: "I thought MOUSEHEART was very good. A lot of parts were very amusing to read. This book also makes you think a little bit. This book is sad, scary, and happy all at the same time. I thought the characters in this book were very good. Like, Hopper {the main character}, Zucker, Pinkie, Pup and Titus. I really think that title matches the story. I think that it being a trilogy is good because it makes you want to read the others. I would read the others. I would recommend this book to people who like action, animals, and cliffhangers. I really loved this book!"</div>
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My third grade daughter: "The book was awesome. I can't wait for the sequel. My favorite characters in order were Pup, Hopper, and Pinkie. I would recommend this book to people that aren't afraid of rodents. The title really makes you think about what it means. I liked the whole story and how it was thought out. My favorite part was one of the fighting scenes between certain characters in the book {no spoilers!}."</div>
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My children really did enjoy this book and asked me to read it to them every night. I know this book will be a hit in my elementary school library as well. It's a little less challenging in terms of reading stamina than Redwall and the Warriors series, to which it is being compared, and that will suit my students in grades 3-5 just fine. A definite purchase for our collection and recommended reading, if, as my daughter cautions, you aren't afraid of rodents! </div>
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By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-30596463160735891722013-12-15T19:00:00.002-05:002013-12-15T19:30:13.040-05:00Creating Movie Dialogue Using Primary SourcesAfter several weeks of feeling like a creative slug, I finally got a jolt of inspiration made possible, in part, by a request to the Twitterverse. I was looking for some lesson ideas for my third and fourth graders that utilized primary sources and technology. Of course my trusty tweeps guided me to the Library of Congress website and from there things fell into place.<br />
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First, students will access <a href="http://www.loc.gov/item/mp76000306" target="_blank">TR Calls on Neighbors at Christmas, 1917</a>.<br />
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Then they will complete the Graphic Organizer I have created and that is available <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7vlwce4XzvQNnlFMHo1LVdwZ0k/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I welcome your comments and any suggestions you might have for improving this graphic organizer.<br />
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<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-20810488776505164952013-10-29T13:13:00.002-04:002013-10-29T13:15:02.403-04:00Inside Out and Back AgainNot only is that the title of a wonderful book by Thahhah Tai but it's kind of how I feel my life has been these past couple of weeks. I love the saying, "If things aren't adding up, try subtracting." and it's so true. Sometimes you just need to cut back to get back in the groove.<br />
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:: Did I tell you I'm attempting to achieve National Certification? On of the positives of this process is seeing how supportive my tweeps and my IRL peeps are when it comes to sharing their experiences and "lessons learned." I hope I will stick with it and follow through - I am giving myself to December to decide whether or not I will need to "subtract" this particular endeavor.<br />
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:: Using the fabulous librarian from <a href="http://csslibrary.wordpress.com/">Voices from the Inglenook</a> as my guide, I've been attempting some Visible Thinking Routines with my second graders. I think they are enjoying so far and I'm looking forward to coming up with a "bank" of routines that they can then choose from.<br />
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:: We are fortunate to have <a href="http://www.ginjerclarkebooks.com/">Ginjer Clarke</a> coming to visit our school in November. Beginning next week, I will be using her books to introduce my younger students to nonfiction text features and the joys of reading the facts!<br />
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:: My fourth grade students have just finished up studying some of Virginia's native peoples. This week we will read Encounter by Jane Yolen so that they can gain a new perspective on Columbus' discovery of America.<br />
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:: And it's just AMAZING how a little book talking will get those books FLYING off the shelf. I showed this <a href="http://safeshare.tv/w/nuQmRHbAHZ">video</a> from A Tangle of Knots - SO LONG A Tangle of Knots! LOL!By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-27897733976052527222013-10-10T21:56:00.002-04:002013-10-10T21:56:48.786-04:00Catching Up with CaldecottsI can't wait to start this unit with my fifth graders!<br />
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<object id="vp1S01rW" width="432" height="243" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1381456502&f=S01rWWyN5i6yOh9AjO2vFA&d=0&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1S01rW" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1381456502&f=S01rWWyN5i6yOh9AjO2vFA&d=0&m=a&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="243"></embed></object>By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-6096324004279710382013-09-22T09:53:00.000-04:002013-09-22T09:53:21.771-04:00Welcome to the New Classic Six!Every since, well forever, I've been drooling over Sherry's <a href="http://www.thelibraryfanatic.com/" target="_blank">adorable blog design</a> {okay, the content's swell too but as a librarian I can't help but judge a blog by its cover}. I finally asked her about it and she told me that Lori over at <a href="http://www.imaginationblogdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Imagination Designs</a> had dreamed it up for her.<br />
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A few months later, wa la {okay, I know that's supposed to be voila}...the new Classic Six!<br />
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And let me tell you, dear readers, Lori got it {me?} in one take {not counting my, "Oops, did I mention I'd really like to see..." episodes}. And did I mention she's super nice?<br />
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So thank you Sherry {I hope you work on commission} and thank you, Lori, for my new, beautiful, fresh, clean, happy, chirpy, sunny design!By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-75212192773005315282013-08-23T17:47:00.001-04:002013-08-23T17:50:16.268-04:00Why I Bought It Wednesday {The Late Edition}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Like, the really late edition.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Like, it's totes Friday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Thank you to my great colleague <a href="http://twitter.com/maggle">twitter.com/maggle</a> for keeping me on task!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">So without further ado... Here is the final <b>Why I Bought It Wednesday</b> of my summer vaca. {SOBS!}</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b><a href="http://www.beautifuloops.com/" target="_blank">Beautiful Oops </a></b>by Barney Satlzberg</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKbVnWZj4UG5PVvyQqD6ckBaZD97VFI0DN7NxKrg8F_5zSLk0HUTqYhwf4b6PReZogF0JgOFKZZQUDdm-ORLVleuqjiwvnhxghe3dm9tKm9OKF9_co3_la3W58X2-VBBk3u6B6Zgcjv4/s1600/beautiful-oops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKbVnWZj4UG5PVvyQqD6ckBaZD97VFI0DN7NxKrg8F_5zSLk0HUTqYhwf4b6PReZogF0JgOFKZZQUDdm-ORLVleuqjiwvnhxghe3dm9tKm9OKF9_co3_la3W58X2-VBBk3u6B6Zgcjv4/s320/beautiful-oops.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> Okay, so I'm a little slow on the uptake. I realize this book is not new, but it's new to me! It's a perfect book for the start of the year because it encourages students to take risks and not worry about making mistakes. This book is rather delicate, so I will probably not circulate it, but allow for much touching, ooing and ahhing over it in the Library. I foresee many an "oops" project in the Library as well.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>The Matchbox Diary</b> by Paul Fleischman</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WvVERRvavweb_LsRjOcAhZFFlBGrQAlzfAhvVPMWcgwuiPHOBIJmugHN379xxhuR6ifhP13UnyaN6yWWeR0lg9ZlwN0R-uGA7Zcd0eawyXEKsB6tUyM-Q7qKIu7XGzIg_gkDbGNKVKc/s1600/matchbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WvVERRvavweb_LsRjOcAhZFFlBGrQAlzfAhvVPMWcgwuiPHOBIJmugHN379xxhuR6ifhP13UnyaN6yWWeR0lg9ZlwN0R-uGA7Zcd0eawyXEKsB6tUyM-Q7qKIu7XGzIg_gkDbGNKVKc/s320/matchbox.jpg" width="289" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> I'm actually at a loss for words {in an entirely positive way} as to the "usefulness" of this book. Of course, it will make a wonderful read aloud all on its own but there are so many other ways that this book fits beautifully into the curriculum. To help us navigate, Candlewick has created a teacher/librarian <a href="http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763646016.btg.1.pdf" target="_blank">guide</a>. I plan on suggesting this book as a companion to so many other tried and true picture books by authors such as Eve Bunting and Pat Brisson. Books about the immigrant experience, small moments, memories, past and present...the list goes on and on. Enjoy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>Arnie the Donut and the Bowling Alley</b> <b>Bandit</b> by Laurie Keller</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFWwjZu1E5Nxa-Wo534Hi6IYCBGT_gXj1LgKk0ZPYUX-txIJvzyBWdj-Eoa6vqhziTOmHCmeR13OQWsjKzXOh7uoIlAxmbJm9TpgQvOhQUm6HcFCshFejyYrD6y0sOMKcrOoD065O0Gg/s1600/Arnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFWwjZu1E5Nxa-Wo534Hi6IYCBGT_gXj1LgKk0ZPYUX-txIJvzyBWdj-Eoa6vqhziTOmHCmeR13OQWsjKzXOh7uoIlAxmbJm9TpgQvOhQUm6HcFCshFejyYrD6y0sOMKcrOoD065O0Gg/s320/Arnie.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It</b>: Oh come on. How could you NOT buy this book? It's <a href="http://www.lauriekeller.com/" target="_blank">Laurie Keller</a> for heaven's sake! This is the first book in a new chapter book series feature our good friend, Arnie and his ... um ... owner (?) Mr. Bing. I will be doing a Laurie Keller author study this year with my multiage classes (mixed first and second) but it will be a bit more than just an author study. The entire year will be themed around Laurie Keller's books, including Scrambled States of America {lots of opportunities for learning about states and the atlas}. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>P.S. Be Eleven</b> by Rita Williams-Garcia</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> Now here is a situation where I bought a book totally because my students enjoyed <b>One Crazy Summer</b>...and I did not. And here is also an example of how I am often very candid with my students but challenge them to come to their own conclusions and form their own opinions. In other words, I do not just booktalk/recommend books I like. I am looking forward to reading <b>P.S. Be Eleven</b>, though. It just sounds so good...I hope it's as good as it sounds!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>Robert Griffin III</b> by Jon M. Fishman</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It: </b> I rarely buy books on individual sports figures. It just seems that as soon as they arrive the player has been traded or retired or is...er...in jail or de-medaled for steroids or something. But I do purchase books about local team members, including this recent (and already slightly outdated) bio on RGIII. Now if only they'd change that terrible team name... What books do you very hesitantly purchase for your collection?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">So there you have it! See you next Wednesday!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-48011064453121555922013-08-14T15:37:00.002-04:002013-08-14T15:37:55.817-04:00Why I Bought It Wednesday!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Three *is* my favorite number, so welcome to week three of Why I Bought It Wednesday!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Today I stopped by "the office" and there were even more boxes of books waiting for me! It was so hard to chose the five for this week's post, but here they are...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>Brush of the Gods </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">by Lenore Look and illustrated by Meilo So</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> My second graders study Ancient China along with Ancient Egypt, so I thought this would be a perfect semi-fictional picture book. I could pair it with several other wonderful books such as <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/240059.Christoph_Niemann" target="_blank"><b>The Pet Dragon</b></a> or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4563386-at-the-beach" target="_blank"><b>At the Beach</b></a> by Huy Voun Lee. You could also pair this book with another book about remaining true to oneself and ones passion. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: Amphibians (Animal Classes Series)</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> I am completely addicted to the Blastoff Readers from Bellwether Media {I have not been compensated for this recommendation!!} series of books and best of all, so are my students and teachers. Like the A True Book series, these books are filled with large, engaging photographs, easy to read (on the eyes, I mean) text, nonfiction text features and these books pass my nonfiction text test: a glossary MUST be called a glossary!! {So bugs me when they call it something else! It's a glossary, people! My kindergarteners can handle the term!} I bought a ton, I mean a TON more of these this year after I tried them out with a few last year.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">by Chris Grabenstein</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> I have not read it...just the buzz. But it has the word LIBRARY in the TITLE for goodness sakes. And, be still my heart, it has some sort of Dewey Decimal spinner on the cover. You KNOW I am a DEWEY NUT! Each year I get a little more creative with my second graders and Dewey. They love it! It feels like cracking a code to them. But I digress... Can't wait to read this one!</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">::The Fellowship For Alien Detection</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">by Kevin Emerson</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It: </b> Again, I have not read this one...but my 4th and 5th graders are *hungry* for science fiction that is at their level so I grabbed this one up! I hope this one will pass their stringent requirements!</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: Tito Puente: Mambo King</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael Lopez</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> This bilingual picture book was an easy pick for me. We were fortunate enough to have <a href="http://www.monicabrown.net/" target="_blank">Monica Brown</a> visit our school last year and she introduced the children to many of her other books, including <b>My Name is Celia Cruz</b>. After I read this book, I immediately went to uTube to watch Tito Puente in action! A great start to biographies, music appreciation and Hispanic culture! </span></div>
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<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-73079004340821350562013-08-07T20:11:00.001-04:002013-08-07T20:11:44.037-04:00Why I Bought It Wednesday!!<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">Welcome to the second edition of Why I Bought It Wednesday!</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">I stopped by my library yesterday to find eight boxes of books just waiting to be opened! twitter.com/booksandbytes stopped by, so we spent some time pawing, oohing and awing over some of the newly arrive purchases.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: Here are five titles and Why I Bought It (THEM!). : ) {You can see more over at my <a href="http://pinterest.com/jamestownreads/" target="_blank">Pinterest account</a>.}</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;">:: <b>Becoming Babe Ruth</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> Last year, as close to opening day as possible, I read several picture book biographies about baseball players, including <b>You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?</b>! by Jonah Winter. This year I plan to do the same, so I scooped up several more titles. Soon I will do a post of all the fantastic baseball pictures books - there are so many great ones and so many to keep track of...! They get my students reading sports-related books and biographies!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>:: The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It</b>: Oh...come on. Why WOULDN'T you buy this book? I mean, look at the cover! However, it also amusingly explains the concepts of greater than, less than, equal to and addition and subtraction. Funny Math! It's a Wing Wing situation! <--Heh, heh...see what I did there?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>:: Frogged</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> Okay, so here is a book that I have not read yet, but I snuck it home and have added it to the Four Books I Will Read Before School Starts Again pile. Why? My students are always looking for fractured fairy or folk tales that mix things up a bit. I'm sure this will be very popular with my students and will be a great book to book talk along with <b>Rump</b>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>:: Doll Bones</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It</b>: Well...here I cheated just a little bit. I received this book from the publisher, but with all the buzz I'm glad I did. It is the second book on my Four Books I Will Read Before School Starts Again pile. My students are always looking for "scary books" and I think this will do the trick without giving them too many nightmare. What other books would go along well with this one?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>:: Frog Song</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"><b>Why I Bought It: </b> My guys just cannot get enough of books about animals and animal behavior. I can't wait to introduce them to <b>Frog Song</b>...and the opportunities for pairing fiction and non-fiction texts are ENDLESS I tell ya... Hello <b>Froggy Goes to School</b>! Can't wait to use <b>Frog Song</b> this year.</span></div>
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By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-57506321217345936012013-07-31T22:17:00.002-04:002013-07-31T22:17:26.730-04:00Why I Bought It Wednesday<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've started my 2013-2014 book ordering which, as I've tweeted before over at <a href="http://twitter.com/classicsixbooks">twitter.com/classicsixbooks</a> , makes me want to alternately leap for joy and poke my eyes out. There is a method to my ordering madness. I thought I would share on Wednesdays five titles and Why. I. Bought. It!!!! <-- {Say as if announcing a game show...}</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> Gennifer Choldenko's <b>Al Capone Does My Shirts</b> and <b>Al Capone Shines My Shoes</b> are perennial favorites in my library. I own multiple copies and they are rarely on the shelf. Even over the years, these books have remained popular. Ordering <b>Al Capone Does My Homework </b>was therefore, a no brainer!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> There's nothing quite as comforting as a book from the A True Book series. I still have some versions from the...ehem...long ago so I eagerly snatch up any new additions to the series. The photographs are engaging and the reading level is just right for many of my students. A nice crisp, clean format that never lets me down. Why <b>Birds</b>? I have a second grade teacher who is nutty about our fine-feathered friends, so this book will be especially welcomed by her students.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> When I first came to my school six years ago, I did a major weed of the biography section. Out went sports personalities from the early 2000s, for example, and added were some pretty fabulous replacements. While many of them relate to the Virginia Standards of Learning, others I buy purely based on student interest. The Who Is... is extremely popular with my students. I buy them in paperback and purchase multiple copies of each. They do not stay on my shelves for long. <b>Who Is Bill Gates?</b> will be a great fit for my tech-savvy students.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> This is not a new book, but it is absolutely one of my favorite books ever. David Roberts has got to be one of my favorite illustrators ever...having also inked <b>The Dunderheads </b>series. This also fits the bill because both second and fourth grades concentrate on fairy/folktales, and among all grades modern versions of these traditional tales are always popular. Can't wait to get my greedy little hands on this book once and for all!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Why I Bought It:</b> To be honest I'm not even sure if my students know or remember who Cal Ripken, Jr., is...after all we now have the Washington Nationals so the Baltimore Orioles may now be a distant memory. However, this book is a perfect reading level for my higher reading 2nd & 3rd graders and, of course, it is sports-related. The first book I tried <b>Hothead</b> did very well in my library, so I snatched up <b>Wild Pitch</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that's the first edition of Why I Bought It! I hope you picked up some suggestions for your library...any title you'd like to share and why you bought it?</span></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-81617464724248163912013-07-03T23:56:00.001-04:002013-07-03T23:57:22.689-04:00Room with a Review: Genie Wishes by Elisabeth Dahl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> <i>Genie Wishes</i></div>
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<b>Month/Year Published</b>: April 2013</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Elisabeth Dahl</div>
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<b>You May Know Her: </b>As a debut (novel) author!</div>
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<b>You May Find Her: </b>At her <a href="http://www.elisabethdahl.com/" style="color: #7f7f7f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">website</a> and on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ElisabethDahl" target="_blank">@ElisabethDahl</a>.</div>
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<b>Review You May Not Have Seen</b>: Katherine Sokolowski's <a href="http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/genie-wishes-by-elisabeth-dahl-reviewed-by-katherine-sokolowski/" target="_blank">review</a> on The Nerdy Book Club.</div>
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<b>The Review</b><br />
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When I entered a twitter contest for two autographed copies of Elisabeth Dahl's first novel, <b>GENIE WISHES</b>, I had to admit that I didn't know anything about it. I won (YAY!), received my copies in the mail and, of course, was immediately taken in by the adorable cover, but it was a tiny description about a Popsicle in the first few moments of <b>Genie Wishes</b> that got me hooked on this sweet and perceptive read. </div>
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Genie Kunkle is beginning the fifth (and final) grade at her private school's lower school. Along with the responsibilities and choices that come with being selected as class blogger, Genie struggles with many issues familiar to kids her age: friendship threesomes (oh nothing can go wrong there!), changing relationships (with members of the opposite sex), puberty (ew), and most importantly that pull between wanting to fit in and wanting to remain true to yourself.<br />
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What I liked about <b>Genie Wishes</b> was that there was nothing incredibly earth-shattering about Genie's life - don't take this the wrong way...there is nothing boring about this book. Hers are the every day worries and concerns of certain tweens, yet Ms. Dahl manages to make reading about them, and Genie's decisions, immensely readable, comforting and fresh - I was reminded of <b>The Baby-Sitter's Club </b>series, those books I devoured like candy back in the day and are being gobbled up in their updated form by my fifth graders.<br />
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An added bonus are the delightful line drawings sprinkled throughout the book, also by Ms. Dahl; fans of the sketches in Grace Lin's <b>Year of the Dog</b> series will enjoy these little touches. Another cool aspect of the book is its pinpoint-able location, which will no doubt be of interest to many Baltimore-area readers (and writers - hello Laurel Snyder!).<br />
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I would recommend this book for readers in grade five (obvs!) and above; it would also make a perfect gift for that fifth grader moving on to middle school.<br />
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<b>Genie Wishes</b> gets five out of five dog ears from me!</div>
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By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-66304923016960098792013-06-25T07:23:00.001-04:002013-06-25T07:29:18.698-04:00Teachers Write! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This summer I will be participating in Kate Messner's awesome-est offer to the world: <a href="http://www.katemessner.com/blog/">Teachers Write!</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tomorrow I will post my summer writing goals (one of which is already CHECK! Phew!) but today here is my contribution to Kate's writing prompt (head over there to get the full low-down - it's awesome; I promise)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes, when they’ve stayed up too late the night before, I wake up before the children. I tiptoe to my desk; a few clicks around the universe tells me the world still exists. The sun squeezes through the slats of the dusty Venetian blinds (maybe I’ll get to them today). The birds converse outside the window; I only recognize the coo’ing of the Mourning Dove. The hermit crab chirps in his (her?) cage, asking for, well, who knows what. Even the cars that pause at the stop sign on the corner sound sleepy. A thump. Stomping feet make a run for the bathroom. Dresser drawers slam both open and shut. A call from the bottom of the stairs, “Mom?”. I stretch and head down to greet them, the day, and to coax delicious, roasty smells from the coffeemaker.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-19936633672944963772013-04-24T15:14:00.001-04:002013-04-25T06:58:36.286-04:00Room with a Review: The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher<br />
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<b>Title:</b> <i>The Wig in the Window</i></div>
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<b>Year Published</b>: Available June 18, 2013</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Kristen Kittscher</div>
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<b>You May Know Her: </b>As a debut author!</div>
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<b>You May Find Her: </b>At her <a href="http://kristenkittscher.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and on twitter at @kkittscher.</div>
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<b>Review You May Not Have Seen</b>: The author <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3NHHiX9XHo">being interrogated</a> by two precocious investigators!</div>
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<b>The Delta/Plus<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IS THAT BLOOD?!</td></tr>
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<i>The Wig in the Window</i> is debut author Kristen Kittscher's forthcoming middle-grade mystery and like most good tales of intrigue, this one is a page-turner!</div>
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Seventh grade "spies" Sophie (public school attendee) Young and Grace (home schooled BFF) Yang have made it a habit of putting their noses in...er...investigating their neighbor's business and this time it seems, they have tangled with the wrong perp. Dr. Charlotte Agford, Sophie's very own middle school guidance counselor, exudes just the right amount of "ick" that gives Sophie and Grace massive heebie-jeebies. But could it be that Dr. Agford is just "Dr. Awkward" when it comes to counseling her young students or is there more to the story?</div>
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I will not lie. Like Sophie and Grace's first encounter with the doings of Dr. Agford, I based my opinion of <i>The Wig in the Window</i> on appearances (the cover), with not much evidence to support my rabid...er...polite request for an ARC. The alliterative title was also a draw. But in this case (hahaha), judging a book by its cover was not a false lead. The mystery starts out with a rather embarrassing comedy of errors which is definitely a red herring: people, this book gets serious and by the end I was doing that thing I shouldn't do...kinda skimming the text because I couldn't take the suspense. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN? {Oh, assuming anything DOES happen - not spoiling a mystery is so hard!}</div>
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Along with being a fine mystery, I also liked the theme of friendship throughout the book. As so many middle-school students know, friendships evolve, change, and some dissolve over time. Sophie and Grace go through similar ups and downs with which many students, especially girls, will identify. The character of Trista Bottoms was one of my favorites in the book and there again, Kittscher reminds us that appearances can be deceiving.</div>
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So in wrapping up the case, no pressure, Kristen, but please get on with book number two in the series. We'll be waiting!</div>
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This book gets five out of five dog ears from me!</div>
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{Thank you to Harper Collins for providing me with a free ARC of <i>The Wig in the Window</i>, no strings attached.}<br />
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<i>***Update! In the spirit of passing it forward, leave a comment on this post with the title of your favorite MG mystery and I will randomly draw a name. The winner will receive the copy of my well-worn ARC! Wheeee! Please leave comments by Friday, April 26th, 8:00 p.m., Eastern.***</i></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-33451202227911433082013-04-15T09:51:00.003-04:002013-04-15T09:51:35.189-04:00Pocket Poems Activity with A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I have to confess I have not been keeping up very well with National Poetry Month.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Probably because my school celebrates poetry in February, but no matter!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Every month is poetry month!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Yesterday I did an activity with my second graders that, um, I did with them last year as first graders.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">They were very forgiving and hey, they came up with some new pocket poems.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">I always enjoy reading them - they are so clever!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Start by reading </span><span style="color: #20124d;">A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes: A Pocket Books</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> by <a href="http://www.lizgartonscanlon.com/PDFS/A_Sock_is_a_Pocket_for_Your_Toes_Scanlon.pdf" target="_blank">Liz Garton Scanlon</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yrbxFWe7cgFI5pxaDmBQZHT7J0qDK5lZsgKv0ZMutAnlrFlLnyGCI4IHyHENmE7YlhdyH8wHrmd3I4-bvrD18XeSOGdTfySfPYrRBjKklg4f0eR9B9pDHJT2xsjHMxwsavbrFahpNVs/s1600/sockpocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yrbxFWe7cgFI5pxaDmBQZHT7J0qDK5lZsgKv0ZMutAnlrFlLnyGCI4IHyHENmE7YlhdyH8wHrmd3I4-bvrD18XeSOGdTfySfPYrRBjKklg4f0eR9B9pDHJT2xsjHMxwsavbrFahpNVs/s1600/sockpocket.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Then, <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7vlwce4XzvQVnNZYTQ3RTlVUk0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">copy and cut these strips</a>, having the students create their own pocket poems. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Here are some great examples from my second graders:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A Desk is a Pocket for Your Pencil </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A Body is a Pocket for Your Life</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A Book is a Pocket for Your Learning</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A Head is a Pocket for Your Brain</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A TV is a Pocket for Your DVD</span></div>
<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-29543010018160402432013-04-04T11:07:00.001-04:002013-04-04T11:08:02.083-04:00Mrs. Lodge's Shelve-It Book Alpha Order Game!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">A few weeks ago I found this great <a href="http://www.mrs-lodges-library.com/" target="_blank">game</a> created by Mrs. Lodge and her husband, er, Mr. Lodge! LOL!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Well, I finally got to it this week with my third graders and they LOVED it! They were literally lining up to play it after we had already played it as a class.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwDMbERvoexb-j5bJmwFImbnRw-DgiQfVxeBPqlWp4IQFR1y-gEd4L5ehw25k_BVQq4jKfds8fJiOc8Cqv-I_Ctt3zkn68JPdkR_EV_80DbH6vdIcHlv2VTS4-gNqGWMfyz4LkNeifc8/s1600/photo-20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwDMbERvoexb-j5bJmwFImbnRw-DgiQfVxeBPqlWp4IQFR1y-gEd4L5ehw25k_BVQq4jKfds8fJiOc8Cqv-I_Ctt3zkn68JPdkR_EV_80DbH6vdIcHlv2VTS4-gNqGWMfyz4LkNeifc8/s320/photo-20.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Thank you, <a href="http://twitter.com/mrslodge" target="_blank">Mrs. Lodge</a>!</span></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-50737364893902559742013-04-03T16:04:00.000-04:002013-04-03T16:04:54.305-04:00Library Lessons - Cheers and Jeers<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">We've had a few cheers and jeers so far this week during Library.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Let's start with the Jeers, shall we?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">I decided to have my fifth graders create spine poetry with Newbery award-winning titles as a sort of poetry/Newbery unit mashup. Meh. The problem was that limiting students to the Newbery titles limited their creativity. Here were two of my favorites, however:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0-BDnagKlx6A1_9m8BC_rfrXyOXSttlXkqlwqmxJzWgiyMTMUPUEBuIkd3OC5SybpJYTLIAw8cyKp6fHkXV_K5mXuhuObepzSFUpLGfZm576XCHi8WfGbS52qWKh63zDNgnYS3I5-Qk/s1600/photo-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0-BDnagKlx6A1_9m8BC_rfrXyOXSttlXkqlwqmxJzWgiyMTMUPUEBuIkd3OC5SybpJYTLIAw8cyKp6fHkXV_K5mXuhuObepzSFUpLGfZm576XCHi8WfGbS52qWKh63zDNgnYS3I5-Qk/s320/photo-18.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU_29owSmEmtHQ4sMJlol3UpjDm7wbPy8F2QS1iS8WM2-Fi36OkGJEznkWw4myODqfmK7ggDTkc3CaD2CTuXlOfk46OTulJipdf9X3zolL1hsILt-ini48ejwdsSBn4CL3SG71meMWU0/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVU_29owSmEmtHQ4sMJlol3UpjDm7wbPy8F2QS1iS8WM2-Fi36OkGJEznkWw4myODqfmK7ggDTkc3CaD2CTuXlOfk46OTulJipdf9X3zolL1hsILt-ini48ejwdsSBn4CL3SG71meMWU0/s320/photo-16.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Lessons Learned: Next time allow students to choose books from the entire library collection.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">There were more Cheers this week, however. My students LOVED LOVED LOVED...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz_uRDtA8F6dOnWYw0llfobqVf92xJy-VQKatsCuxOgvEDJmrc4CCcSPCfafP_HesLmFL6fBwowk3dgzeqPMzp2HlUsNKEqIIj2ZH_UhKWeRndc8csWH5Zbpn_0ZUaNSJK_ijF61gh_A/s1600/twinterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img alt="" border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz_uRDtA8F6dOnWYw0llfobqVf92xJy-VQKatsCuxOgvEDJmrc4CCcSPCfafP_HesLmFL6fBwowk3dgzeqPMzp2HlUsNKEqIIj2ZH_UhKWeRndc8csWH5Zbpn_0ZUaNSJK_ijF61gh_A/s320/twinterior.jpg" title="There Goes Ted Williams" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">There Goes Ted Williams - Written and Illustrated by Matt Tavares</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">and so did I! LOVED this book by <a href="http://matttavares.com/theregoestedwilliams.html" target="_blank">Matt Tavares</a>! A great read for celebrating opening day or any day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">And finally, to coordinate with their animal unit, I did this Animal Mystery activity with my kindergarteners and the book A STICKLER ON STILTS: A ZOO ANIMAL MYSTERY. I revealed each clue as I read each page and the students would tell me what they thought and why. The kids loved it and all their hands were waving frantically right before they told me the answer!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2-hDcey5T9NL58Vkt3ImcnIUQ2L8bgHaU8QOVS8J085ReguZJQ9tXeCjVYqT37bzH9yxt6-dpVTcmC9fwVT91f_TwlLYq5v20EN0gi6W14rB1tnkDdw7luvNRJhcKhQ3d3Z4dMsaSzg/s1600/photo-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2-hDcey5T9NL58Vkt3ImcnIUQ2L8bgHaU8QOVS8J085ReguZJQ9tXeCjVYqT37bzH9yxt6-dpVTcmC9fwVT91f_TwlLYq5v20EN0gi6W14rB1tnkDdw7luvNRJhcKhQ3d3Z4dMsaSzg/s320/photo-19.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Did you have any Cheers or Jeers this week</span>?</div>
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<br />By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673426632889889902.post-39596897187434560572013-03-12T12:29:00.002-04:002013-03-12T12:29:35.565-04:00Our Beverly Cleary Shelf Part One<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is our Beverly Cleary shelf after one classes' intro to this extraordinary author:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o_7BK91qU5Xg6JlQdEt3RgfH18ZbyXK80gYjW5-72HgPHgxuKw-BYlSn5J9bF7TE4Y6ni4gck9VDn4Eo_SOF7sfZPlZVPM922fuWRLROV_KViVa_uXovp8uK9W3_AqAE3v4xeYNqWRg/s1600/photo-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o_7BK91qU5Xg6JlQdEt3RgfH18ZbyXK80gYjW5-72HgPHgxuKw-BYlSn5J9bF7TE4Y6ni4gck9VDn4Eo_SOF7sfZPlZVPM922fuWRLROV_KViVa_uXovp8uK9W3_AqAE3v4xeYNqWRg/s320/photo-15.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Stay tuned!!</span></div>
By Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02171786427370535488noreply@blogger.com0