During Christmas break I noticed that Pamela Voelkel (one half of author due J&P Voelkel) tweeted about a book she received for Christmas-Atlas of Remote Islands. My goal in 2010 was to read more nonfiction and to find more nonfiction for my students. I was intrigued by the title and added it to my Goodreads. [...]
Filed under: non-fiction, reviews | Tagged: cartography | 2 Comments »
Today was my last class with my seniors (they spend 1 semester with me and then swap to another English teacher for the next semester). We spent the last few minutes of class reflecting on what worked and what they would change for my next group. It was a productive conversation and they had some [...]
Filed under: books, classroom library, community | Tagged: power of classroom library | 7 Comments »
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John was the YA winner for this year’s Scheider Award so I picked up a copy the last time I was at the bookstore. It had pinged my radar a few times but the award pushed it to the top of my pile. Thank goodness for the Schneider, because [...]
Filed under: reviews | Tagged: deaf, music, schneider award | 3 Comments »
I’ve been hearing about Beth Revis’ Across the Universe for months. No ARC came my way, so I ran out last weekend and bought a copy with a Barnes and Noble gift card I got for Christmas. Before I started reading, I posted the book trailer on our class Edmod0 (something new I have been [...]
Filed under: reviews | 1 Comment »
Don’t forget, Random House has been kind enough to offer a signed copy of the paperback of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me to one of my readers! Enter below for your chance to win! Click here to enter! Entries close January 25th.
Filed under: contests | Tagged: contest, free book, when you reach me | Leave a Comment »
The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante is a great middle grade novel that is perfect for those tweens who want to read YA and but might not be ready for all that comes with a YA novel. Thirteen-year old Dellie blames herself for her little brother’s death. Now, he mother cries all [...]
Filed under: reviews | Tagged: danette vigilante | 2 Comments »
On Monday I had the ALA Youth Media Awards Twitter account running in the background while eating lunch. I checked every few seconds while waiting for the awards to be announced. Boy, was this a wildcard year for a few awards! I was thrilled with some, surprised by others, and shocked by some more. Here [...]
Filed under: newbery | Tagged: newbery 2011, printz 2011 | 1 Comment »
It’s Newbery week, which is perfect timing for the release of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me in paperback. If you read my blog at all last year, you know how much I love love love this book. It was my top pick last year and my classes chose it as their mock Newbery winner. [...]
Filed under: contests | Tagged: signed book, when you reach me | Leave a Comment »
Anyone who deals with teen/tween girls knows the symptoms of a crush- staring into space, making bad decisions, glazed over eyes, sometimes a whole new look. The sweet girl you thought you knew suddenly stands in front of you a completely different person. Over the span of a single school year, they can ride emotions [...]
Filed under: dystopian, reviews | Tagged: delirium, dystopian ya, lauren oliver | 2 Comments »
By late Monday morning, the wait will be over! We will know the 2011 ALA Award winners. But before they are announced from San Diego, here are my predictions. Newbery 2011: (In no particular order, as I would be happy to see any of these as the medal winner or honor books.) Keeper by Kathi [...]
Filed under: newbery | Tagged: newbery 2011 predictions, printz 2011 predictions | 2 Comments »
