What to do?

Start the book Crossed by Ally Condie or read 100 essays?  But the essays are Ch. 24 of the Giver...so they should be fun.

What are you reading right now on this cold wintery day?

Utopia is the new hot like the oh-so-2-years-ago vampire genre was

Long weekends are for reading, and this 5-day break gave me the opportunity to read Matched by Ally Condie.  And this whole Utopia genre is the new hot like the oh-so-2-years-ago vampire genre was.

This book is Uglies meets Hunger Games meets The Giver and now meets Matched.

Same premise...main character goes most of her life OK with the society's choice for her.  She goes through the matching ceremony and gets "matched" to her life-long friend.  Yay.  But then the conflict starts and like any great Utopian society book, the main character starts to think about how things will go if he/she makes some choices on her/his own.  And her choices begin with her match.

And that's where the issues start.  This book weaves in a really strong love story with twists and turns.  I could hardly put it down.  Thankfully, a 9-hour drive home helped me out.

Matched will give you 21 Reading Counts points.  The sequel, Crossed, just came out.  I can hardly wait to check it out.  I hear it's coming to the WMS library really soon.

Thanksgiving weekend makes me realize that I'm thankful for good books.  Which one are you reading right now that you can't put down?

The Chosen One

Finally gave up on the Uglies series so I would read again.  I picked up The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams after trying to "sell" it to several 6th period students.  Nobody would take it, so I checked it out myself.

I finished it in three days!  What a book.  It's about a girl who is part of a religious cult that lives on a compound as part of a polygamous community.  She has one dad and several mothers and the family follows Apostles and a big mean Prophet.  She is 14 and learns randomly one evening that the Prophet spoke directly to God and she is to marry her 60-year-old uncle in 4 weeks.  Ewwww.

I love watching Sister Wives on TLC.  I'm just fascinated to see how they all work together to make a lifestyle choice work for their family.  This book is more of the same and follows Kyra's struggle with trying to fit in with her community while having "unwholesome" or sinful thoughts...which are just normal 14 year old emotions.  The author tucks in a real love story in here too.  Nice.

A real page turner, this quick read is captivating and gets you 12 Reading Counts points.  It won't disappoint.

What to read next?  Hmmmmm.  Help!  Need another good book.  Or several.  Thanksgiving is a long road trip.  Gotta stock up!

Reading Counts counts

Quarter 1 is done. Books are read; quizzes are finished.  I was pleasantly surprised to see my students embrace the new reading program at WMS.  What I learned:  kids really like to read.  Here's what I learned after watching you guys read your way through quarter 1.

1.  Finding the right book is paramount. Our new librarian, Mrs. Brockman, brings life and excitement to WMS's library.  She gives book talks, shows book trailers and helps kids find that just-right book.  She's ordering $10,000 worth of new books as I write this.  Telling your friends about a good book is also key.  I always stick to award-winning books--other people found them good, so I should, too, right?

2.  Finding time to read is life-changing.  I'd much rather watch TV sometimes than do anything else...dishes, laundry, grading papers.  But working reading into your busy schedules means that you have to change a lifestyle.  Keep your book with you and read in the car, between classes, right after school.  When you would normally throw away a 1/2 hour watching "Good Luck, Charlie" for the 4th time, pick up that book and read instead.  Schedule reading.  Set a goal per day or week.

3.  Pick good books.  Know what the Reading Counts points are when you pick the book.  Know your schedule.  Two short quick books might get you points faster than one long hard book.  Also know your limits.  It's good to push your Lexile and read a harder book, but if you are up against a deadline, this isn't the time for that.  Know when the quarter ends!  For sure!  

4.  Use the public library.  Reading Counts is not unique to Wentzville School District.  It's a nation-wide program.  So books found at the public library are probably Reading Counts.  Don't discount audiobooks.  What a great way to get through a book!  You can download a book from the library website:  http://www.youranswerplace.org/ebooks-and-downloadable-audio-books.  Or you can just go into the YA section and see what they have.  You can even renew your books online or reserve them.  http://catalog.youranswerplace.org/(mkxj3l45lcm0vnfucx2s03m3)/HomePage.aspx

5.  Start right away!  Quarter 2 starts Monday!  Get reading!

You can do this.  Read through my blog to find some good ideas for books.  Good luck and happy reading:)

Use this link to check how many points your book is worth in Reading Counts:  http://src.scholastic.com/ecatalog/default.asp?UID=43D02184EBFF4C1B9CCF00EAFC93C11A&subt=0&Test=NA

Pretties: what an ending.

Pretties is such a great book.  Such twists and turns it takes in the end.  I actually lol'ed and gasped while reading with my students today in class.  The main character, Tally Youngblood, has so much, ummmm, gumption.

gump·tion

   [guhmp-shuhn]  Show IPA

noun Informal .

1.

initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With hisgumption he'll make a success of himself.

2.

courage; spunk; guts: It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.

3.

common sense; shrewdness.

She can get herself out of any situation. Like anything.  I went directly to the library and checked out the 3rd book:  Specials.  I'm so excited.  

It was so great to see everyone so excited about taking Reading Counts! quizzes today.  And you were asking for help to find a good book.  We're really going to raise some Lexile and MAP scores with all our hard work!  Happy reading.

Can you read 2 books at the same time? I can.

So I'm reading 2 books right now.  I usually only have time to read, umm, no books.  But I'm making reading a priority because I'm making reading a priority for my students.  They have to see me read.  They have to see me "want" to read.  They needs to know sometimes, it's ok to want to sit and watch a completely mindless TV show like "Bachelor Pad".  They have to know that blowing an hour on Facebook is OK, but you still have homework and reading to complete.  And you have to read.  There's no way around it.


I'm reading Pretties by Scott Westerfield.  It's a great book.  It's a thriller...keeps me guessing.  And during Core Plus, I pull the book out and read.  And it's painful because I could be answering email, grading those pesky ungraded essays, taking attendance, making sure the kids are reading, watching the wasp in my room (does it really have a nest above the 4th light back?).  But I'm glad I force myself to read during class.  It makes me a better reader.  Period.  Case closed.


And at night before I go to sleep, I started reading Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine.  The narrator of the book as Asberger's--a form of autism.  It's so neat to see the world through Caitlin's eyes.  At first I did not like the book, but Caitlin is growing on me.  I'm interested to see how she thinks, what she'll do.  I recommend it.  And it's 11 SRC! points.


And by the way, I heard that this blog was passed around on Facebook by my 8th grade students.  I'm flattered.  Truly.  I'm glad you're talking about reading or at least were interested enough in a teacher who blogs about reading to post it and click on the link.  Do it again.  I dare you to link it to Facebook.  I'll read more if I know you're listening, I mean reading.  And I hope it shows you I care about your reading success.  Cuz I do. (you want to edit that, don't you?)


Now get off this blog and read!

Good reads in the library

So I took my classes to the library and Mrs. Brockman, our new rock-star quality librarian, recommended some great books!  Here they are:

Secret Lives of Bees
Peak
Found
anything by Sara Dessen
anything by Nicholas Sparks
Hunger Games
Uglies/Pretties
Zen and the Art of Faking It
anything by Mike Lupica
Mark Twain nominees http://thelibrary.org/kids/bookplanet/twain.cfm
Truman award winners http://thelibrary.org/teens/bltruman.cfm
13 Reasons Why
Code Orange


Some book recommendations from my friends:
authors Terry Pratchell or Neil Gaiman
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
The Cay
Lord of the Flies
"Life as We Knew It", Joan Baurer books
"Hattie Big Sky"
"Penny from Heaven"
"Fly Girl"
"Someone named Eva"
"Dragon Slippers"
"Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life"
"The Lightning Thief"
Heist
Matched
My Name is Memory
Adoration of Jenna Fox
The House of the Z Scorpion
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Last Thing I Remember
Good luck finding a great book and get reading!