These are memes started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journey, and I'm excited to participate, along with many other bloggers, in reviewing books I read the previous week. I'll be reviewing picture books through adult books.
PICTURE BOOKS
2015-book, creativity, fathers, imagination, mock-caldecott-2016, picture-book, play, problem-solution, problem-solving, resiliency, wordless
I love wordless picture books! This one has all the elements of the perfect wordless story - beautiful illustrations, pops of color, vivid expressions on the boy's face, a perfect story arc, and a great ending. I would use this in the classroom for teaching story elements and for discussions on imagination, creativity, play, and resiliency.
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Seemingly simple at first glance, this story goes pretty deep! A "red" crayon can't seem to do anything right - everything it draws is blue!! Self-discovery, true identity, honesty, and defying labels - all embedded in this humorous, but important book. Would be great to use for teaching metaphor. Also, I thought of my friend who will be leading an LBGTQ group (she's calling it The Alphabet Club) at her high school this fall. This would be a great book to share with them to spark discussion!
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MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS
2015-book, death, fantasy-science-fiction, friendship, grandparents, home, hope, intermediate-kids-book, loss, magic, mock-newbery
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I loved this book from the dedication to the acknowledgments. I think I found a new read aloud - it would be perfect for my home/family or a hope unit. A somewhat Roald Dahl-esque story, Circus Mirandus captivated me from the first page - "Four small words. That was all it took to set things in motion. The words came from an upstairs room filled with the rustle of paper and the sweet stink of medicine." Talk about a great lead! I loved Micah Tuttle and his hopeful heart, Grandpa and his sweet generosity, and Jenny and her spunky loyalty. And of course we have to have an antagonist - Aunt Gertrudis is someone my students will love to hate! Magic, love, adventure, courage, friendship, and the true definition of home...everything I love in a book. Everything my students love in a book! This one is a treasure.
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Another great adventure/fantasy series coming from Jennifer Nielsen! Nic reminds me a lot of Sage - funny, rebellious, dauntless, reckless, reluctant heroes, impulsive, smart. I liked the setting of this one - Rome. I also love the Griffin - she reminds me of Saphira from Eragon. I'd like to include this in my mythology unit text sets.
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Cynthia Lord is brilliant. How does she keep writing these beautiful, touching stories?! So much wisdom in this one about home, family, art, loss, love, moving forward, diversity, courage, letting go, friendship, identity - on and on. Some of my favorite pearls of wisdom:
"I think art can take ordinary things and show them to you like it's the first time you've ever seen them," she (Salma)continued. "And you realize that even ordinary things aren't really ordinary at all."
"That's something we can learn from dogs, isn't it? They don't keep looking backward at what they've lost or asking 'why me?' They just move on and find a new way to be happy again." (Pepere)
"Giving up and letting go are too very different things, Lily. Giving up is admitting you're beat and walking away. Letting go means you're setting something free. You're releasing something that's been keeping you stuck. That takes faith and more than a little courage." (Pepere)
"I think art can take ordinary things and show them to you like it's the first time you've ever seen them," she (Salma)continued. "And you realize that even ordinary things aren't really ordinary at all."
"That's something we can learn from dogs, isn't it? They don't keep looking backward at what they've lost or asking 'why me?' They just move on and find a new way to be happy again." (Pepere)
"Giving up and letting go are too very different things, Lily. Giving up is admitting you're beat and walking away. Letting go means you're setting something free. You're releasing something that's been keeping you stuck. That takes faith and more than a little courage." (Pepere)
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO
CURRENTLY READING
Great assortment and variety of books. I really need to put Circus Mirandus on my reading list. I have heard so many great things about it. Here is my reading week. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are really cruising through a lot of books. I loved Circus Mirandus, but most of the other middle grade books are still on my TBR list. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteYou have great reading on your list this week!
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading A Handful of Stars this week too. I quoted several quotes from the book, but they were all different from yours. Isn't it funny how different lines stick to all of us! Yay!
Float and Night have been on a lot of lists--I need to read them.
ReplyDeleteI adored Red. I think it is a super special book!
Love your mini-review of Handful of Stars. Loved it! Circus Mirandus is another favorite.
Happy reading this week! :)
Oh my goodness you have so many novels here that I recently read and loved - A Handful of Stars, The Great Good Summer and Lost in the Sun. I love that quote about learning from dogs in Lord's Book! I also marked it.
ReplyDeleteGreat books here, Holly - you've read the best YA books of the year!
ReplyDeleteLOVE, love, love all these amazing books! I have read many of them - especially love Circus Mirandus. Have you read The Night Circus? Lots of connections to that book, which is one of my all time favorites! Thanks for always including these clips! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have read The Night Circus and loved it! I totally agree that they have lots of connections. I listened to the audio of The Night Circus because it was narrated by Jim Dale. It was fantastic!
DeleteWow, Holly! How you read so many great books in a week is beyond me! We had a circus reading theme a few years back - Circus Mirandus would have been a wonderful addition to that list - I just read it while I was in Munich and enjoyed it greatly. I have yet to read The Night Circus. :)
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