The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

To this day, I remember where I was when I finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows . I was in the car (my mom had run into Service Merchandise) and caught completely off-guard by the climax of the book. I remember the tears running down my face as I turned the [...]

Wanna read “The Hunger Games”?

One of the best books I have read this year is Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games. Want to win a free ARC? Teenreads.com is giving away 100 ARCs on their website!  Enter here!!
Summary, courtesy of Teenreads.com:  Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North [...]

Dolphins, Poetry, and Madeline L’Engle

Picture from Asbury Park Press

The big news in my area is that a pod of coastal dolphins has been spending their time in a local river and estuary. At first, officials were worried that they were offshore dolphins, which would present a problem because they don’t have a food source in the area. [...]

2007-2008 Class Book Lists

This year, my class read more books than we ever have in the past. In case anyone is interested in some great books for 6th grade, I made a list of the books we read, divided into read-alouds and class novels.
Class Books:

Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher- This was the first book we read together [...]

Good Morning America Book Suggestions

This morning, Good Morning America did a segment on great reads for kids this summer.  Most of the time, these “suggested lists” are stale and boring.  They tend to be formulated by adults who rarely have contact with kids and thus have no idea what reluctant readers want- and to be honest, many kids are [...]

Newbery 2009?

The year is half over, which means it’s about time to start forming short lists for the Newbery.  Well, at least in the blogosphere.  I am currently working on my own list, but in the meantime check out Fuse #8 for her ideas!

A little off-topic

Happy birthday to me! 

June issue of Edge of the Forest

The latest issue of Edge of the Forest is out!  It’s an awesome issue!  Here are some highlights:

An interview with singer-songwriter—and author of Middle Grade fiction—Dar Williams, by YA author Carrie Jones.
Poet J. Patrick Lewis graces The Edge of the Forest with a bittersweet original poem.
Sarah Stevenson (a.fortis) and TadMack (Tanita S. Davis) talk vampires [...]

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

Anyone who knows me can vouch for my extreme (okay, maybe overboard) love for everything butterfly related. Naturally, Cecilia Galante’s The Patron Saint of Butterflies immediately caught my eye.  Now, what most people don’t know is that I am fascinated by religious fanaticism, cults, and communes.  When Galante’s book surfaced near the top of [...]

Poetry Friday

Yesterday was our last day of school.  I was very sad to see this class go, as they have been wonderful this year!  Most of my students are big fans of Guitar Hero (the video game), so there was a lot of singing at dismissal.  Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” was the biggest hit!  It may [...]