Friend Friday #145 (Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate)

Hi!  I'm Sutton and I read the book called Crenshaw written by Katherine Applegate.


I think this book is cool because it has some funny parts and is a really great story.  


My favorite part in the story is when Crenshaw came to life because it was a cool moment and I was surprised that an imaginary friend came to life.  



The character that I liked best was Crenshaw because he was a good friend to Jackson, he was funny, and I think he would make a good imaginary friend to me.  


I think the author wrote this book because she wanted to write about a friendship and how it can help you through a rough time.  


I would recommend this book to my friends because some parts in the story make you laugh out loud and Crenshaw is a funny character that they will like.  


Reading to me is exciting because once I find out there is a mystery in the book I'm excited to find out what the mystery is.  


*Sutton will enter fifth grade in the fall.
*He is a good family friend.  He and his family live in Eagle, Colorado.  
*They are visiting us for the weekend and I always like talking with him about books.
*When I asked what his favorite book was he right away said Crenshaw.
*He also agreed to be my "Friend" for today's post.  
*When he isn't reading, you can find him enjoying the Colorado sunshine and playing baseball.  

Trailer Thursday #145 (Student Trailer #4)

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

*Book Trailer Created by Ava (Fourth Grade Student)

*Each student in my class created book trailers (using iTrailer)

*They could pick a book they read, I read to class, or a "Breakfast with Books" selection

*This was their first attempt at creating book trailers

**Here are some other trailers we found to promote this book...

Maxi's Secrets by Lynn Plourde

How I Heard About It:  I remember a few months back starting to hear about this novel via Twitter.  I knew Lynn Plourde from her picture books and was excited to learn she had a MG novel coming out this summer.  After some tweets with Lynn and Nancy Paulsen, I was being sent an ARC of the upcoming novel.  I was beyond excited.  The ARC, and a couple of new titles, arrived at my doorstep yesterday thanks to Nancy Paulsen.  I started Maxi yesterday afternoon on my porch and finished up the last page late last night with more than a tear in my eye.  

What It Is About:  Timminy is about to start fifth grade at a new school.  He and his parents have just moved from the hustle and bustle of Portland out to the quieter countryside.  Timminy's father is going to be the new assistant principal at the middle-school which includes fifth grade.  He isn't happy about this move, but receives a new puppy to help with the transition.  Maxi is a Great Pyrenees and is quite a special dog for Timminy's family.  Timminy is a perfect target for school bullying because of his size.  He is quite short.  Not just a little bit short, but really short.  When he begins school, his fifth grade experience is not off to a great start.  There is a BIG bully named Rory who targets Timminy because of his size and teases him relentlessly.  One positive is when Timminy meets the girl next door Abby.  They hit it off and begin a special friendship.  Abby is blind, but doesn't let that get in her way of doing whatever she wants.  After finding out that Maxi is deaf, Timminy makes it his goal for her to become the perfect dog.  Abby and Timminy work together to make this happen.  As time progresses, Timminy finds his place at school despite some mystery locker "shut-ins", and other pranks.  Just as he is getting his bearings in the new school and neighborhood, life takes a sudden turn and he fears for both Abby and Maxi's well-being.  

What I Thought Of It:  From the moment I started the first page, I knew this was going to be a special story.  I'm a huge dog lover so that was the first plus.  Timminy's family was so unique and I found myself wanting to be a member of their wonderful relationship.  Timminy had a great sense of humor and I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions.  The characters of Abby and Rory added greatly to the story and I so enjoyed the friendship the three of them formed.  Each chapter ended with a "secret" which was really a life-lesson that Timminy was learning throughout his journey.  I thought this was such a wonderful addition to the book.  The plot moved along at a beautiful pace and the story unraveled at a perfect speed.  Many of the events toward the end of the book surprised me and "hurt" my heart.  Just as there were some laugh out loud moments, I had several moments when my eyes were quite "wet".  Lynn has written a beautiful story about a boy and his beloved dog and what they brought to each other on so many levels.  In some ways I wish I hadn't read the entire book yesterday because I don't want to be done with their story.  

Who Should Read It:  I can't wait to share this novel with my fourth graders in the fall.  I'm thinking it will either be a read aloud for the entire class or a possible "Breakfast with Books" book club selection. The book would be perfect for a fourth, fifth, or sixth grader to read on their own.  The way that Lynn wrote the story and ended each chapter, it would be perfect for a class read aloud.  If you yourself are a dog lover, or you know of a child who is, this is a book that must be read and experienced.  The novel will be on shelves in August so be sure to look for it.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars

Wonder Wednesday #145 (Reader Response #4)

Wonder Wednesday - My Life as a Reader (Part Four)

*Today is the fourth post of a Wednesday summer feature I'm going to run through the summer months.

*I had each of my students respond to a series of "sentence frames" about their reading life this year.

*I will be posting their thoughts here on Wonder Wednesdays.

Hanh came into my classroom last fall identified as an EL and struggling reader.
She was hesitant to read and try books.  
Once she was introduced to the graphic novel format, she took off.
Hanh was a student that always had a book in her hands.
My goal then became to expand her interests past the graphic novel.
She did a wonderful job and I enjoyed watching the progress she made during the year!  

Hanh Wrote...

Before I was in fourth grade I thought that reading was a bit boring

because I didn't find anything that I liked to read.    

Now that I'm almost done with fourth grade I think that reading is great 

because I now I have found new books, especially graphic novels that I really enjoy reading.  

This year I learned that as a reader I understand what I read more

because I didn't always understand what I read, but now I do.

To me reading is great

because when you find the right book it can be so fun to read.  

As a reader I'm most proud of how I understand what I read this year

because the graphic novels and other books were interesting to me so I think I understood them better.  

The best thing about reading is how I can imagine what is happening in the story because I made pictures in my mind and could visualize what was happening.  It was like a  movie in my head.  

To be a life-long reader means to understand the book and enjoy it

because that is what real readers do and I enjoy new books and the stories they tell.

Treat Tuesday #145 (Book Release Day)

Treat Tuesday:  Father's Day Burgers

*So it was Father's Day this past Sunday.

*My wife is a wonderful cook and loves to try new and different types of foods.  It it boils down to it, I'm a very simple eater.



*When she asked me what I would like for dinner for Father's Day, I said burgers on the grill.  She just smiled because she knew this would make me happy.  But I'm not talking just a regular burger.

*A few years ago she got a simple recipe from a friend on how to spice up burgers.  I love the way they taste and they have become a favorite of mine.  So this past Sunday I not only enjoyed one burger, but two.

Ingredients…
-1 pound hamburger
-1/2 package dry onion soup
-3 Tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce

Directions….
-Mix together well
-Let sit one hour
-Form into patties
-Grill


Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Young-Adult Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Adult Novel

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (6/20/16)

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… 

we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson

*Young-adult novel

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review





Nine, Ten:  A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin

*Middle-grade novel

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

*2 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review

Hilo The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!

My Book Review

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin

*Middle-Grade Novel

My Book Review








Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week…

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

*My Young-Adult Novel

A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin

*My adult novel

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin

How I Heard About It:  I saw a tweet from Scott Fillner (@sfillner) about this book and he gave it such positive reviews.  I was going to buy it, but the bookstores were closed so I downloaded it via my 3M Cloud Library app.  Once I started I couldn't stop reading so ended up reading the entire story on my iPad.  I will definitely be getting a hard copy for my classroom.  

What It Is About:  Twelve year old Ben Coffin hasn't had it easy in life.  He spent several years of his life in the foster care system.  After being adopted by a lovely woman, he experiences loss with her.  Ben finds his refuge via the Coney Island Library.  He is a sci-fi lover and has become friends with the friendly librarian or as Ben likes to call her a "media specialist."  After rescuing a stray dog in the ally next to the library, he feels like his luck is about to change.  Ben and his new friend Halley name the dog Flip.  Flip is a one of a kind pet and they want to share this gift with others.  The two of them set out to train Flip to be a therapy dog for children that have difficulties with reading.  Ben and Halley not only share a love for Flip, but for reading and writing.  They begin to create their own fiction story that ends up to reflect their own experiences.  As much as we want life to be fair, Ben finds out that just when you think everything is falling into place, circumstances can throw you a "cracked bone" and you need to find all the survival skills you can.  

What I Thought Of It:  Thank you to Scott Fillner for tweeting about this incredible book.  As I said, once I started I could not stop reading.  I read late into the night and had very wet eyes when I closed the iPad.  This was a beautiful, heart-warming, and touching story about a young boy trying to make the best of his difficult life.  I would be so lucky to have a classroom full of "Bens" in my class.  He was one of the most thoughtful and kind characters I have read about in a long time.  I'm a sucker for dog stories and this one cut right into the middle of my heart.  I'm so glad that Halley and her family came into Ben's life and touched him in more than one way.  Everything about this novel was excellent.  Paul Griffin's writing is superb and he makes you feel like you are right next to the characters experiencing their life with them.  I can't wait to get a hard copy of this novel and share it with my fourth graders next fall.  I've already put a message on my "Schoology" course for my students from this past year to get out and grab a copy of this book.  

Who Should Read It:  When Friendship Followed Me Home is the perfect book for any third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade classroom.  There are so many elements that young readers will enjoy about this book.  They will love the characters and they will of course love Flip.  There are some heavy themes throughout the story, but are handled with grace, ease, and heart.  I think the novel would be great for a read aloud, a book club selection, or to put in the hands of individual readers.  If you are an adult reader who enjoys middle-grade stories, you MUST read this book.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars