Whoa! This is a time shifting, dimension crossing, mind blowing adventure. I'm not sure I understand all of it, but I liked it. Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller - weaving a cosmic comic story of magic and science. Surely more will follow! This is one for a dedicated reader to pursue.
In preparation for our author visit with Jeff Mack on April 11, I ordered a box full of books to share with the kids. I jumped right into Clueless McGee's second adventure, or should I say mishap, and read it without stopping. This will surely appeal to fans of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Instead of a cheese curse, we have the cursed booger. Chock full of comics and misadventures, it's a fun read. My favorite part has to be the inflatable pants. What I love most about The Things I Can Do is the incredibly creative artwork. Everything is what I would call "found art". I would love to use this with students and challenge them to illustrate their own accomplishments with their own "found art". I'm not as impressed with the text structure. But my all time favorite has to be AHA!!! What fun this will be to read aloud and teach children about voice and inferenxing. The whole book is written with only 2 words, but the story is amazing! This is where I think Jeff Mack's true genius lies, in telling the tale with few words. Variety was definitely the name of my spring break reads - from sad and heavy reads to light and easy reads. Star Jumper by Frank Asch - yes the author of my favorite bear books- was a nice light read. Perfect for early chapter book readers. If you have ever spent spring break using your imagination to transform a giant cardboard box into a spaceship, a race car, a castle, or anything else... You can relate to this book. Imagination required! Loose Threads by Lorie Ann Grover was a hidden gem discovered in my 811 poetry books and about to be weeded. As you may remember, I love verse novels! Although the cover is dark and frankly kind of ugly, a beautiful, but sad, story lies within. Kay lives with her mom, her grandma, and her great grandma. That's it! Just women! It's all she's ever known and she loves it, most of the time. Each woman is special in her life in a unique way, especially her grandma. But now her grandma has found a lump...and her life begins to change. Get the Kleenex... Finally, The Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath, was an unexpected pleasure. Honestly, the cover and the title didn't appeal much. I only brought it home out of curiosity because it received such good reviews from some well respected sources. This story did not disappoint. First of all, there is nothing about coal! Coal Harbor is more of a fishing village, but that's a minor part of the story. This is a story about loneliness and finding friends in unexpected places - then doing everything you can to protect that friendship! I think it would be a great read aloud for 2nd or 3rd grade. First read of spring break... This is the story for every person who feels like they don't fit in. The story for every child who wonders if they might be adopted because there is no way they are related to their parents. The story for every person longing to find a friend and a place to belong. This story is filled with humor and sensitivity. You too will wish you had a friend like Penelope, a teacher like Stevie, and maybe even a mom like Donatella. I just finished this touching, yet troubling book. Odette's Secrets is a first person account if a young Jewish Girl living in Paris during the Nazi occupation. What I loved about this book is how easily it flowed. It is written as a verse novel (one of my favorite styles of writing). I also loved the author's note at the end when she tells us where she got her ideas - about the real Odette. I would have put this at the beginning, but maybe it's more powerful at the end when we have come to identify with and care about Odette. This book is a bluebonnet book for 2014-2015. It's not at all what I expected, but I look forward to sharing it with students. This title for the Texas Bluebonnet list for 2014-2015 is a perfect read for this age group. Reminiscent of Grace Lin's series and "Year of the Dog", I think this will quickly become a favorite. With realistic characters who face everyday problems- being embarrassed by parents, losing a best friend, not knowing what to write about, or parents fighting. Students of all ages will find something to relate to in this book. The addition of basic Chinese characters and 'how to's' is a nice touch too. This is a fun read! |