Nonfiction Wednesday

Thanks to Kid Lit Frenzy, I made a goal to read more children's nonfiction this year which I will be featuring on my blog every Wednesday.

I only read one nonfiction book for kids this week:

How To Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids by Thomas C. Foster

2013-book, bookaday2013, books-about-books, nonfiction, nonfiction-challenge-2013

I was really looking forward to this book when I heard it was coming out, since I read the original and loved it. I even thought it would be a great book to read at the beginning of 5th or 6th grade next year when I teach at the intermediate building. However, I'm disappointed. I think it missed its mark. I was expecting a book for middle grade kids to get the same insight into reading literature that Foster's original book did for college-aged kids. The thing I think Foster missed was that his...moreI was really looking forward to this book when I heard it was coming out, since I read the original and loved it.  I even e-mailed Thomas Foster after I read it with the idea of a version for kids, but he kindly e-mailed me back letting me know it was already in the works.  When it came out, I thought it would be a great book for my students to read at the beginning of 5th or 6th grade next year when I teach at the intermediate building.   I was expecting a book for middle grade kids to get the same insight into reading literature that Foster's original book did for college-aged kids, using intermediate grade books.  Even the cover makes it look like it's for about 4th-6th grades.  Unfortunately, it's aimed at older kids and not appropriate for middle graders at all. The book titles range from Narnia books, which would be appropriate for the grades I teach, to The Odyssey, which wouldn't be.  I was disappointed.  I can adapt some of the material, but I won't be able to have them read it all.  I'm not sure why it was still aimed at teens - a lot of high schoolers are reading the original one for honors and AP English classes.  Maybe this was meant for jr. high?  I'm not sure.  Oh well - don't miss the original one, How To Read Literature Like a Professor, though.  It's wonderful!  Here is a post I wrote for Nerdy Book Club about using it with a read aloud:
http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/?s=Edward+Tulane&submit=Search