If You Like Harry Potter ...

This semester, my students are sharing book reviews in a different format, linking one book they thought many people in the class might have read and another that would appeal to a reader of the first book. (Please note that my third 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 third graders.)

This "If you like ... read this next ..." format was inspired by the We Need Diverse Books summer reading series. They used the format to encourage people to find and read diverse books, so all of their "read this next" choices highlight great, diverse book choices. You can find their posts here on their Tumblr page.

If You Like Harry Potter ...

By: Nate

If you like the Harry Potter series, then you should read The Mysterious Benedict Society.

The Mysterious Benedict Society:

• adventures and mysteries!
• lots of puzzles!
• characters have no magical powers but one is crazy smart, one is very athletic, and one is great at solving puzzles!

There are four books in the series:

• The Mysterious Benedict Society
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
• and a prequel, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict

Looking for more book recommendations? Check out the #3rdfor3rd tag for book recommendations written by my third graders about their favorite books or the Read This Next tag for more recommendations like this one!

Book Clubs: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Book Club discussion groups are a great way to get kids excited about books and discussing them. This is the second in a series of posts sharing some of my favorite books for Book Club discussions. Please click on the "Book Club" tag to read more.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

 

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1971) by Robert C. O'Brien and winner of the Newbery Award. I loved this story as a child, and kids today like it a lot too! (Be aware that some students may have seen the animated movie from the 80s ... which bears strikingly little resemblance to the original book.) Also, it wasn't until many, many years later that I finally solved one of the unsolved mysteries in the book - NIMH - National Institutes of Mental Health!

Summary

This childhood classic features the trials and tribulations of near-farm life for a family of field mice. When Mrs. Frisby's youngest son falls sick, she must seek out the help of some unlikely companions to help save his life. This story packs a lot of adventure as well as a mystery told through a lengthy flashback-style retelling.

Reading Level: 5.8
Guided Reading Level: V
Lexile Level: 790L

Big Ideas and Discussion Topics

• Responding to challenges. Mrs. Frisby faces many challenges and set-backs during the course of the story. This is a great one for teaching perseverance and teamwork as well.

• Multiple story lines. A large chunk of the middle of the book fills in the backstory about the rats. Kids have to practice balancing both the present-day story line and the in-the-past retelling.

• Perspective and point of view. The animal-world and the human-world coexist in this story, and they overlap in several significant ways. Kids can have great discussion around the different point-of-views in the scene in the Fitzgibbons' kitchen (should Billy be allowed to keep his new pet? for example).

Suggested Chapter Breakdowns

I usually use four to six sections for Book Club discussions with my students. They meet twice a week (often Tuesdays and Thursdays), which gives us two or three weeks to finish any given round. When I first started I had many more Book Club divisions, but I found that kids had a hard time sustaining interest in a book when it became incredibly drawn out.

1. Pages 3-32, The Sickness of Timothy Frisby through Mr. Fitzgibbon's Plow
2. Pages 33-67, Five Days through In the Rosebush
3. Pages 68-111, Brutus through In the Cage
4. Pages 112-157, The Maze through The Main Hall
5. Pages 158-194, The Toy Tinker through Seven Dead Rats
6. Pages 195-233, Escape through the Epilogue

[Please check page numbers against your own editions, as publishers sometimes change the size or shape of the book, which alters the page numbers.]

Who's your favorite character in Mrs. Frisby? (Click here for more Book Club recommendations.)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 2/8/16

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.

Last Weeks' Posts

• Free Webcast with Stephan Pastis - plus a giveaway! Candlewick is sponsoring a free web cast geared at teachers with author Stephan Pastis on Mon. Feb. 22nd. This post has the details about where to sign up - plus a chance to win all four Timmy Failure books!

• Book Club Discussion: Edward Tulane. I am starting a new series featuring some of my favorite novels / chapter books to use for small group book discussions with kids.

• If You Like Geronimo Stilton ... my students are starting a new series of book recommendations, following the "If you like ... read this next ..." format.

• January Kid Lit Blog Hop. There's still time to link up with this month's #KidLitBlogHop - a great resource for all thing kid lit.

Middle Grade

The War that Saved My Life (2015) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley [Newbery Honor Book and Schneider Family Book Award Winner]. This week I finished catching up on last year's Newbery winners. I really enjoyed this story! Tenacious young Ada, born with a club foot, hasn't seen the world outside her family's apartment until she and her brother, Jamie, are sent out from London as World War II looms. This is an immediately engaging story, featuring a strong heroine, and one that I think many kids will enjoy.

Roller Girl (2015) by Victoria Jamieson [Newbery Honor Book]. This graphic novel might have sparked more conversations as an "unusual" Newbery choice had picture book Last Stop on Market Street not won the award this year, but it is a great book and a great story in its own right. Roller Girl is the story of twelve-year old Astrid, who discovered roller derby over the summer, as she struggles with growing apart from her best friend, Nicole. I love how the book both a) refused to make easy solutions to the friendship issues and b) even included some meta-asides about perfect endings. This is a book that will appeal to readers across a wide age range, and I expect even many of my third graders will enjoy it.

Brambleheart: a story about finding treasure and the unexpected magic of friendship (2016, tomorrow) by Henry Cole. Brambleheart, a new book that comes out tomorrow, is the story of a young chipmunk named Twig who is a bit of a kind-hearted klutz and is nervous that he will never find his true calling.

While the book has echoes of other animal classics like Redwall or The Mistmantle Chronicles, it falls short in telling a satisfying story. I assume a book two is coming, but at 272 pages, you need to give your reader a little something rather than just what feels like the end of a chapter. I think kids will find this book an ultimately frustrating read. (I received an ARC from HarperCollins after responding to an entry in Publishers' Weekly Children's Bookshelf. All thoughts are my own.)

Happy Reading!

Free Webcast with Stephan Pastis - plus Timmy Failure Giveaway!

Mark your calendars for Monday, February 22nd! Candlewick is offering a free live webinar with author Stephan Pastis. Stephan is the author of the Timmy Failure books and creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Details and registration information is available here!

There are currently four books available in the Timmy Failure series:

1. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
2. Timmy Failure: Now Look What You've Done
3. Timmy Failure: We Meet Again
4. Timmy Failure: Sanitized For Your Protection

In the vein of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Big Nate series, these books mix a comedic narrative style interspersed with cartoon drawings. The book is advertised for grades 3-7 (or ages 8-12) and has been a big hit with my third graders.

Plus, who wouldn't want a giant polar bear for a best friend?

Enter the Timmy Failure Giveaway!

To help promote the webinar, Candlewick has provided me with copies of all four of the current Timmy Failure books to give away. Please enter your information in the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Good luck, readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If You Like Geronimo Stilton ...

My students are sharing book reviews with each other again, but this semester we are trying out a different format. Rather than a straight-forward book report, I asked them to think about two books that they liked, one they thought many people in the class might have read and another that would appeal to a reader of the first book.

This "If you like ... read this next ..." format was inspired by the We Need Diverse Books summer reading series. They used the format to encourage people to find and read diverse books, so all of their "read this next" choices highlight great, diverse book choices. You can find their posts here on their Tumblr page.

This was the example recommendation that I presented. Many of my third graders are obsessed with Geronimo Stilton, but many of them have not read some of the "older" book series in the classroom. (Read a student's review of Geronimo Stilton here.)

If You Like Geronimo Stilton ...

If you like the Geronimo Stilton books, you should read the Bunnicula series by James Howe. Both book series feature animals at the main characters, and both are funny and adventurous.

There are many books in the Bunnicula series.

• Bunnicula: a Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
• Howliday Inn
• The Celery Stalks at Midnight
• Return to Howliday Inn
• and more!

There is also a second series called Tales from the House of Bunnicula. I recommend these books to anyone who likes fantasy, mystery, adventure, and humor!

Looking for more book recommendations? Check out the #3rdfor3rd tab for book recommendations written by my third graders about their favorite books!

Book Club Discussions: Edward Tulane

Book Club discussion groups are a great way to get kids reading and thinking deeply about literature. Book Clubs are one of my favorite things that I do in my classroom, so I thought I would start a series featuring some of my go-to books for great Book Clubs. I can also put together some posts about how I organize and launch Book Clubs for lasting and productive conversations. Up first is one of my all-time favorites...

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006) by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline. This book breaks my heart and remakes it every time I read it. I love sharing this book with children, and my students have the most incredible and deep conversations around this story. Last year we read Edward Tulane as whole class as part of The Global Read Aloud, and it was so fun to be able to watch their faces as we experienced this story together. [Aside: how did this book not win a Newbery?]

Summary

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is the story of a pompous china rabbit, named Edward Tulane, whose perfect world is upended when he leaves on a trip with his owner, a girl named Abilene. As he travels around, he meets many different people and broadens his perspective on the world and his own situation in it. He experiences love and loss and teaches children how to feel.

Reading Level: 4.5
Guided Reading Level: Q
Lexile: 700L

Big Ideas and Discussion Topics

• Character. Edward Tulane is a great book to talk about the change or evolution of the main character. Kids can easily compare and contrast how Edward changes throughout the book and how he is impacted by each person that he meets.

• Big Issues. The book also deals very gently and sincerely with loss, including separation and death.

• Figurative and descriptive language. The book is full of incredible and lyrical language. You can also have great discussion around the epigraph at the beginning of the book.

Suggested Chapter Breakdowns

I usually use four to six sections for Book Club discussions with my students. They meet twice a week (often Tuesdays and Thursdays), which gives us two or three weeks to finish any given round. When I first started I had many more Book Club divisions, but I found that kids had a hard time sustaining interest in a book when it became incredibly drawn out.

1. Chapters 1-4 (pages 1-34)
2. Chapters 5-9 (pages 35-73)
3. Chapters 10-14 (pages 75-111)
4. Chapters 15-19 (pages 113-151)
5. Chapters 20-24 (pages 153-188)
6. Chapters 25-coda (pages 185-208)

These chapter divisions match those used by the Global Read Aloud, after I suggested an amendment to their original breakdowns. [Please check page numbers against your own editions, as publishers sometimes change the size or shape of the book, which alters the page numbers.]

How have you used Edward Tulane with your students?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/1/16

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.

Last Weeks' Posts

• Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words, Review #ReadYourWorld. As part of this year's Multicultural Children's Book Day (1/27) I read and reviewed this book about Malala - and shared an original poem by a student of mine, inspired by Malala's story. You can see my curated collection of Multicultural Books here too.

• New Book Alert: Pax. Pax is available tomorrow!

• January Kid Lit Blog Hop. There's still time to link up with this month's #KidLitBlogHop - a great resource for all thing kid lit.

Middle Grade

Pax by Sara Pennypacker with illustrations by Jon Klassen, p.304. Available Feb. 2, 2016 (ARC picked up at NCTE). This week I shared my review of Sara Pennypacker's new novel, Pax, which comes out on Tuesday! This charming story is told in alternating chapters by Pax, a young fox, and his former owner, a boy named Peter. Having raised Pax from a kit, Peter is forced by his father to abandon Pax and send him back in the wild. I predict this will become an instant classic in many classrooms. (You can read my longer review here.)

George (2015) by Alex Gino [Stonewall Book Award Winner]. I had George on my TBR list even before the latest awards were announced but that helped bump it to the top of the pile. George is the story of a fourth grade child, born a boy named George, who is certain that she is a girl and would prefer to be called Melissa. The story follows both her inner and outer journey to see what it means to "Be who you are" in today's world. I think this is an important book in many respects and one that teachers, especially, should consider reading for a perspective/introduction to transgender issues.

The Mystery of the Griefer's Mark: an unofficial gamer's adventure (2014) by Winter Morgan. As a third grade teacher, I have many students who are obsessed with Minecraft and who enjoy reading Minecraft books. I spent some time playing around with Minecraft this past summer, and finally got around to finding a Minecraft book too - it was terrible.

The writing is not good, it's nearly all dialogue, and the actions and motivations of the characters are barely there. There is very little description, and the plot was hard to follow. Honestly, I had a student who wrote a multi-chapter epic Minecraft-inspired story for our latest fiction unit, and his story was incredibly more interesting, nuanced, and well-written than this one. (Final verdict: if I find these at a used book sale, I will pick them up for my classroom, but I am not investing full price in them, for sure.)

Happy Reading!