Treat Tuesday #178 (Happy Book Birthday)

Treat Tuesday:  Chocolate Pudding Pies

*During a recent dinner party, these tasty treats were served for dessert.

*They were fun to eat and of course delicious.

*Here is the easy recipe.  Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Recipe Site

Ingredients:

• 3.9-ounce Simply Good JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix pouch
• 2 cups cold milk
• 6 mini graham cracker crusts
• 6 large strawberries, sliced
• whipped cream, optional
• festive sprinkles, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare Simply Good JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix according to package directions.
2. Once the pudding is set, evenly distribute the pudding between the mini graham cracker crusts.
3. Add a layer of strawberries, a swirl of whipped cream and festive sprinkles.

Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Young-Adult Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Novel Published for Adults

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

How I Heard About It:  During a recent visit to my public library, I was in search of some new audio books.  While in the section for novels published for adults, I ran across this title.  It was familiar to me, but I wasn't sure why.  I must have read about it at some point and put it on my radar.  It was added to my stack of audio books.  

What It Is About:  Alice Whitley doesn't know what she is in for when she leaves New York and heads to Los Angeles.  She has been sent there to "care" for Mimi (M.M.) Banning who is a reclusive author that has locked herself up in her mansion.  Alice's boss wants her to encourage Mimi to complete her second novel which she has been working on forever.  Her first book was a huge success and the world is waiting for the next story.  Upon Alice's arrival, she learns she is going to be more of a companion to Mimi's son Frank.  He is a fourth grader, but not your typical ten year old.  Frank is extremely smart, a bit odd, and has his own unique style of dress.  Alice makes it her mission to befriend Frank and help him be as successful as possible in all that he does.  She also wants to learn about Mimi and Frank's past, his father, and an older male friend who "hangs" out at the mansion named Xander.  Alice isn't sure who is more work; Frank or Mimi.  They both put her to the test.  

What I Thought Of It:  This was a great audio and I so enjoyed the story.  There wasn't too much "action", but the plot moved along nicely and kept my interest the entire "listen".  I enjoyed the characters of Alice, Mimi, Xander, and even Frank.  I only say that about Frank because the narrator's voice for Frank was a bit annoying, but I think they did that on purpose.  The writer did such a great job in the writing that I could picture the mansion in California and the type of life they were living.  There were a few surprises along the way, but nothing major.  This was a good old fashion fiction story that focused on the characters and how they interacted with each other.  

Who Should Read It:  An audience for this book would definitely be an adult reader.  The story is slower paced, but would keep the interest of a reader that enjoys a well-done fiction story.  I think I would recommend reading the book over listening because of the voice of Frank, but either way would be a fine way to experience the story.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (2/20/17)

Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to their site...

                

 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

Books I Read this Past Week...

Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

*Novel Published for Adults (4 STARS out of 5 Stars!)

Review Coming Soon!








Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy

*Middle-Grade Novel (5 STARS out of 5 Stars!)

My Book Review

A World Without You by Beth Revis

*Young-Adult Novel (5 STARS out of 5 Stars!)

My Book Review

Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week… 

Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig

*Novel Published for Adults

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

*Middle-Grade Novel

A World Without You by Beth Revis

How I Heard About It:  I've had this novel sitting in my TBR pile for so long I can't remember how I heard about it.  I'm sure I got the title from Twitter and/or Facebook.  

What It Is About:  Bo is spending time at Berkshire Academy which is a school for troubled youth that are dealing with emotional issues.  He believes he is at a school for kids with special "powers".  Bo's special power is that he can "time travel".  He has had experiences where he traveled to the Titanic, the Civil War, and other historical events.  Bo and his "friends" at Berkshire all seem to have special powers.  While at this school Bo meets Sophia and she has her own unique powers.  The two of them spend time together and Bo falls in love with her.  When Sophia disappears from the school, Bo knows it is up to him to "find" her and bring her back.  He blames himself for what has happened to her.  Everyone around him states that Sophia is dead, but Bo knows differently.  Spending both time at the school and at home with his family, Bo's life gets more and more complicated, confusing, and on the verge of really losing it.  When Bo learns why he is really at Berkshire, he can't quite comprehend what is happening to him and relies on the other students to help them all find the answers they are looking for.  

What I Thought Of It:  This was such a great reading experience.  Part of the reason was I've had the book for quite some time and couldn't really remember what the plot was.  I actually love reading a story when I don't know much about the story line.  This look into mental illness was both fascinating and disturbing.  The author did such an incredible job of describing what was going on inside of Bo's mind that as the reader I almost believed what he was thinking was true.  I also enjoyed reading about his sister and how Bo's situation effected her, their parents, and the family unit they once knew and so desperately tried to hold on to.  There were many moments when my heart hurt for Bo and the other youth at the school.  I so wanted to help them clear their mind and find happiness.  

Who Should Read It:  All readers should put this on their list of books to be read.  It is such a powerful, important, and necessary story to experience.  If the reader knows of someone in their own life who is struggling with mental illness, this would be a great source of comfort.  Both young adult and adult readers would be perfect for this work of fiction.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars

Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy

How I Heard About It:  I was lucky enough to have a couple of ARC's sent to me by Nancy Paulsen a couple of weeks ago.  It was a complete delight to go to the mailbox and find the package waiting for me.  Thank you Nancy for sending me this beautiful story.  

What It Is About:  Alice isn't happy about having to move to a small town in Georgia with her mother and brother.  They have moved here to help care for Alice's grandmother who is having memory issues.  What also makes Alice quite upset is that they have come to this town without her father.  All Alice can really focus on is finding a way to reunite her parents so they can be a "true" family again.  Once Alice and her family settle into their new home, she meets the elderly black lady who lives next door.  Alice gets in trouble with her mother and must make things right, by asking the neighbor, Miss Millie, if there is anything she can do to help her.  Miss Millie takes her up on the offer and asks Alice to walk her dog.  The only problem is the dog doesn't want to walk with just Alice, but with Miss Millie as well.  The three of them begin daily walks in which the two of them share their own stories and learn about each other in which a true friendship is formed.  Miss Millie teaches Alice many aspects of her history while Alice shares her struggles with her missing father and trying to bring her family together.  

What I Thought Of It:  For some reason I can always tell if I'm going to enjoy a story from the first few pages.  When I began this book, I knew it was going to be a winner.  I absolutely loved the story of Alice and Miss Millie.  Alice was so kind hearted and wanted the best for her mother, her brother, and even her "missing" father.  She had more strength than most adults.  Miss Millie was able to help her through some difficult times while at the same time Alice brought new joy and happiness to her life.  The surrounding cast of characters added greatly to the story and I found myself enjoying each and every one of them.  Even the "bad" ones had some redeemable qualities.  The writing was beautiful, touching, and the kind that draws the reader in and doesn't let go until the very last page.  This will definitely be a book that I will share with my students at some point.  

Who Should Read It:  Any adult reader that enjoys reading middle-grade stories must put this title on their TBR list.  It is historical fiction at its best.  There are so many elements that can be admired throughout the book.  The reading level is probably for students in grades five, six, and above.  I believe it would make for an excellent read aloud in grades four, five, and six.  The book comes out in July so be sure to look for it then.  Happy Reading...

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars

Friend Friday #177 (Wish by Barbara O'Connor)

Hi!  I'm Sally and I read the book called Wish written by Barbara O'Connor/


I thought this book was AWESOME because it was the most interesting book I have ever read.  


My favorite part in the story was when Charlie stood up for Howard because he was being teased by TJ.  I'm glad she stood up for her friends because not everyone would.  



The character that I liked best was Charlie because she was strong and had a temper like I do.  It is fun to read about characters that are like me.  


I think the author wrote this book because she wanted to write a story to entertain kids with a really cool girl, a fun boy, and a really cute dog.  


I would recommend this book to my friends because they would love it just like all the kids in our book club did.  


Reading to me is awesome because it is so fun to read about kids, dogs, and the stuff that goes on in their life.  This is the perfect book for readers.  


*Sally is a member of our "Breakfast with Books" book club.  
*We met yesterday to talk about Wish and all the great things about this story.
*The book club was lucky enough to be able to chat with Barbara O'Connor and share our thoughts and questions.  
*Thanks to Sally for sharing her thoughts here.  

Trailer Thursday #177 (Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger)

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger

(Trailer Created by Fourth Grade Reader Freddy)

*Freddy is my reader.  He reads all day long.  Sometimes it can be a problem, but overall I'm thrilled to see how much he LOVES to read and how many books he gets through.

*He can be particular about what he reads, but when he finds a series and/or author he enjoys, he is ALL in.

*Freddy loves Tom Angleberger books and devoured this one within a day or two.  It was fun to see what he created.  

*Our goal is to create a book trailer a week that we can share with our classmates.  

*We are collecting all the trailers we make and putting them into our Schoology Site.

*Each student will have their own album where they can keep all of their trailers.  Then the other readers will be able to browse those trailers and find a new book to read.   

*As the year progresses we will learn what should be included, and not included, in the trailer to make them the best they can be.

Here are Some Other Trailers that Promote this incredible author…