It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

 

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox

	2014-book, cats, dogs, fairy-tale, fractured-tale, humor, picture-book,  winter2014bookaday, writing-connections

 

	Hilarious! Poor Cat is just trying to tell Dog the story of "Little Red Riding Hood," but Dog is not making it easy. This book will be a perfect mentor text when my 5th graders write fractured tales!     Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix     2014-book, christmas, christmas-eve-collection, historical-fiction, kindness, picture-book, war, winter2014bookaday

 

I wasn't sure what to categorize this book since it was in the nonfiction section of the library, but the author said it is a fictional account. One of those blurred genres! Anyway, the most important thing is that this truce on Christmas Eve 1914 between the Germans and British soldiers on the front lines in WWI really did happen. The story is heartwarming because it shows us how we're all more alike than different, but it's heartbreaking because those boys went right back to war and were fight I wasn't sure what to categorize this book since it was in the nonfiction section of the library, but the author said it is a fictional account. One of those blurred genres! Anyway, the most important thing is that this truce on Christmas Eve 1914 between the Germans and British soldiers on the front lines in WWI really did happen. The story is heartwarming because it shows us how we're all more alike than different, but it's heartbreaking because those boys went right back to war and were fighting for four more years. Beautiful story, though, of the human spirit and condition. I'll be adding it to the girls' Christmas Eve collection.   MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS     The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson   2014-book, adventure, friendship, home, identity, intermediate-kids-book, journey, mock-newbery-2015, science-fiction, steampunk, strong-girl-character, winter2014bookaday   I was swept up in this adventure fantasy and didn't want it to stop. In this futuristic society, Piper is a scrapper with a talent for fixing machines in Scrap Town Number Sixteen in the Merrow Kingdom. She watches for whatever storms bring from other worlds that would be worth selling at the trade markets. What she doesn't expect to find is a girl. A girl with the dragonfly tattoo, which means she's from the Dragonfly Territory, and she's protected by the king. Unfortunately, she doesn't rememb I was swept up in this adventure fantasy and didn't want it to stop. In this futuristic society, Piper is a scrapper with a talent for fixing machines in Scrap Town Number Sixteen in the Merrow Kingdom. She watches for whatever storms bring from other worlds that would be worth selling at the trade markets. What she doesn't expect to find is a girl. A girl with the dragonfly tattoo, which means she's from the Dragonfly Territory, and she's protected by the king. Unfortunately, she doesn't remember who she is, so Piper takes her under her wing. There is only one way to get to the Dragonfly Territory, and that is the 401, a train that is impossible to board. That doesn't stop Piper, though. The adventure doesn't slow down after that, and not only does Piper learn who Anna is, she learns a lot about herself, too. I think this book is going to be a huge hit in my classroom!     Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin   2014-book, abuse, adopted-foster-child, birds, anger, bullying, drug-and-alcohol-use, fairy-tale, friendship, hope, family, fantasy-science-fiction, home, intermediate-kids-book, music, poverty, trees, death, fearandcourage, mock-newbery-2015, winter2014bookaday     Oh wow. Carrie Gelson called Nightingale's Nest "hauntingly beautiful." I whole-heartedly agree! Since it is based on a fairy tale ("The Nightingale"), it is bound to be somewhat creepy, which it definitely is. It makes me think of books such as Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy by Anne Ursu. Lots of theme topics come into play: right and wrong, anger, death and recovery, fear and courage, mental illness, greed, friendship, redemption, forgiveness, etc. At one point, the main character, Little John, says, "What was right didn't have a thing to do with what was." This drives many of his motivations, but in the end, doing the right thing anyway is what makes him human. The ethereal Gayle makes readers wonder what's real, the Emperor is downright icky, the downtrodden father makes it difficult for us to conjure up empathy, Isabelle makes us laugh at her enthusiasm for death, and the mother is a tragic character. Somehow, Loftin manages to make all this wrong right again. Loved it! CURRENTLY READING (for Cybils' Awards Judging!)