Speak and Twisted

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a wonderful YA book!  Deeply true and a true page-turner!  The main character goes through a horrible time and pays for it her whole 9th grade year.  Her friend abandon her.  The story shows her struggle with her friends and with herself.  

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson is similar to Speak but this main character is a boy who is looking for attention and prefers negative attention.  I felt that the language and thoughts presented by the main character were a little strong for a 8th grader...might be better suited in the high school grades.  But the message is a good one.

Compound: Jaw-dropping plot

Compound by SA Bodeen is a wonderfully written, fast moving YA book.  I picked it up initially because my principal, Dr. Ray mentioned it was good.  Wowsers!  It was a great book.  I read a lot of it during Core Plus and the students loved watching me read the book while I gasped, yelled out and became engrossed in the text.

The book is about a family who goes into a compound 3 stories below ground after a nuclear attack.  The main character's twin and grandma don't make it in, so he spends most of the book dealing with the loss of his twin.  But things aren't as they seem and his dad hides some secrets.  And from there, it gets really, really interesting.  And makes you figure out when you can read next...I found myself asking myself, "If I leave school right after the bell, I can go home and read..."

It really looks like a guy's book but I recommend this one to anyone.  It doesn't follow the normal YA plot either--either a Utopian society or a teenager's journey to finding popularity.  I think that's why I liked it so. Refreshing.

So pick it up today.  You won't regret it.  At.  All.

Crossed is a love story

Just finished Crossed by Ally Condie.  It's the second book in the Matched series.

The whole story is a love story.  Cassia follows her heart and tries to figure out if she wants Xander or Ky.  She tries to figure out the Society.  It's a great Utopian book.  But I must admit I was a little bored and it took me an extraordinary amount of time to get through this brand-new book.  It was a bit predictable too.  

I'm excited to pick up Compound by SA Bodeen.  Laurel has read it and there's such a twist in it she actually squealed.  Pumped to read a book like that....and one that's not part of a series.

What are you reading on these cold winter days?

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