Saturday, July 27, 2019

Book Recommendation: Dragon Slippers #iLoveMG

Welcome to #iLoveMG where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Dragon Slippers

Recommended by IH


Do you like dragons? Do you like fantasy? Do you like embroidery? Do you like adventure? Do you like kingdoms? Do you like betrayal? Do you like cliffhangers? Do you like slippers?

If you answered “Yes” to all of these, then the book Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George is right for you! ( ... due to this book being about dragons, fantasy, embroidery, adventure, kingdoms, betrayal, cliffhangers, and slippers.)

In this book, a girl named Creel gets sacrificed to a dragon by her aunt, who was hoping that a handsome noble would rescue her, slay the dragon, and pull the family out of poverty. That was the opposite of what happened, however.

The dragon ate her.

Just kidding! That would have made the book too short. Creel made friends with him, and in exchange for not ratting him out got to choose any pair of shoes from his collection. Instead of choosing the sandals or the brogues, she chose some exquisite light blue ones and set off for the capital of Feravel: The King’s Seat. Little did she know that choosing the exquisite light blue ones instead of the sandals or the brogues, also set off one of the biggest disasters in Feravelean history…

This book is great because it reveals what one of the biggest disasters in Feravelean history was. However, this book also uses cliffhangers, is quite funny in some parts, and has a wide variety of characters that almost anybody could relate to. I like how Jessica Day George got right to the point in some chapters, but also hid in a lot of description and really built up the plot. Due to all of this, I would give the book a 4.8 out of 5!

So go and read it!

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Saturday, July 20, 2019

5 Books that were Disappointing

At the end of the year, I asked my fifth grade students to create their own Book List, themed however they wished. Click our Best Book tag for more lists or #iLoveMG for individual books recommended by my fifth graders. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Check out #3rdfor3rd for kid recommendations from when I taught third grade.

5 Books that were Disappointing

List by SN


Hatchet
Heart of a Samurai
Sign of the Beaver
Island of Blue Dolphins
Stone Fox

* Note: This list generated quite the discussion among the class - with both agreements and vehement disagreements! (All of these were books assigned by teachers in third through fifth grade - Hatchet was from me.)

Click here for all of our Best Books posts or here for more great middle grade recommendations. What are your favorite fantasy books?

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Book Recommendation: We're Not From Here #iLoveMG

Welcome to #iLoveMG where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

We're Not From Here

Recommended by CG


Hi, this is We're Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey. This is a dystopia book. This book is about how humans destroy earth so now they're living on Mars. Then everything starts going wrong so then they have to go to Choom. The Choom government says they can come.

Twenty years later the humans arrive at Choom but now the Choom government does not like them all of a sudden. Read the book to find out what happens next.

This book is very good because it is humorous and it is always interesting. If you liked Ready Player One or Armada you will love this book. This is very good that you will love.

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Best Book List: Adventure and Mystery #bestbooks #iLoveMG

At the end of the year, I asked my fifth grade students to create their own Best Book List, themed however they wished. Click our Best Book tag for more lists or #iLoveMG for individual books recommended by my fifth graders. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Check out #3rdfor3rd for kid recommendations from when I taught third grade.

10+ books that have adventures and mysteries, and much more!

Recommended by AH


A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Warrior series by Erin Hunter
Harlem Charade Natasha Tarpley
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
Whittington by Alan Armstrong
Inside out and Back again by Thanhha Lai
The One and Only Ivan by K.A Applegate
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Wishtree by K.A Applegate
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Moo by Sharon Creech

Click here for all of our Best Books posts or here for more great middle grade recommendations. What are your favorite fantasy books?

Monday, July 1, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 07/01/19



It's Monday! What are you reading? was started by Sheila at Book Journey and was adapted for children's books from picture books through YA by Jen of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers. You can visit either site for a round up of blogs sharing their weekly readings and thoughts or search Twitter for #IMWAYR.



Recent Posts


I'm getting back into the blogging grove (or trying to)! I'm hoping to at least (re)commit to posting #IMWAYR posts once a a month, and I've been putting together book view and favorite book list posts that my fifth graders wrote this year.

Looking forward to a school year with no new preps (first time in over three years) and a sixteen-month old with a modicum of self-direction to give me a little space inside my own head. We'll see!

Middle Grade



The Bridge Home (2019) by Padma Venkatraman. This is the powerful story of two sisters, runaways to "the city" (Chennai, India), and the challenges they face there. The characters are immediately engaging and pull you into the story, and the writing is quick-paced and descriptive.


Blended (2019) by Sharon Draper. Sixth grade Isabella feels literally split in half by her divorced parents and her mixed-race heritage. This book draws you in and slowly builds in very thought-provoking subplots about divorce, racism, microaggressions, and even police shootings. Well-written, and I loved Isabella's voice and insights.

Young Adult / Adult



Laurie Halse Anderson's poetry memoir, Shout, is electric and a must-read.

Will I see any of you next week at Nerd Camp?

Happy Reading!