Petey

Petey by Ben Mikaelsen

I unintentionally saved the best for last... literally. For my last book blog, I want to take the time to focus on my favorite childhood chapter book, Petey by Ben Mikaelsen. I discovered this wonderful piece of work in middle school. I NEVER read in school. Ever. Not even the assigned material. My mother was aware of this. She was also aware that my career goal at the time was to be in the medical field. I remember laughing at the fact she handed me a book to read.. like, really mom? After reading the synopsis, I HAD to read more.

Basically, a boy named Petey was sent to the state insane asylum because his parents thought he was broken. Petey actually suffers from severe cerebral palsy and isn't insane at all. But, in 1973 society viewed him as such. When Petey moves into a nursing home he meets a teenager named Trevor Ladd. They instantly click. Once Trevor hears Petey's story of living with such a condition, he grows closer to him. 

This book teaches friendship and acceptance in a way I haven't seen displayed before. (Fun fact: this story is 90% true). I highly recommend this book to any reader (or nonreader, considering this is the book that helped me become a reader). After rereading Petey for this challenge, I have to say I have fallen in love with the book all over again. I dare you to read it and not fall in love with it. I promise this will be one of the first books in my classroom library. 

Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

This week when I was at the public library picking out books for this challenge, I came across an old favorite of mine!! Matched by Ally Condie is the first novel of a trilogy. I read this book for the first time when I was 13 year old but it is recommended for ages 11+. I was so excited to reread this book to see if I still enjoyed it as much... and guess what? I DO! This book is perfect for introducing readers to dystopian novels!

Cassia Reyes, the main character of Matched, is a citizen of the Society (as well as everyone else in the novel). Simply put, the Society is synonymous to the government. However, everything in life is decided for the citizens. Where citizens work, who they love, when they die, etc is all decided by the Society. When citizens are 17 years old they attend a Matching Banquet where they will be paired with their lifelong partners. At the beginning of the novel, Cassia is on the way to her Matching Banquet with her best friend Xander. Cassia was matched with two people... Xander and Ky. Ky is one of her neighbors. The day after the banquet, an Official informs Cassia that she is to remain with Xander and forget about Ky.. But what if she is meant to be with Ky? 

I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I am going to stop there. Throughout the novel Cassia begins to challenge the Society. Questions I ask myself at this point in the book are as follows:

• Will Cassia actually forget about Ky?
• What will happen if an Official catches Cassia with Ky instead of Xander?

Matched is a great novel for young adult readers. It keeps you on your toes yet allows you to temporarily experience a dystopian society. I have yet to read the other two novels of this trilogy so those are next on my list! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do and consider adding it to your list of books for your classroom library! 

The Curse of Einstein's Pencil (Bea Garcia)

The Curse of Einstein's Pencil (Bea Garcia)

This book is ADORABLE. Author Deborah Zemke has written more than forty children's books. She is amazing at what she does and I am so excited to have found another author (and series!!) for my future classroom library. I have read just over half of The Curse of Eistein's Pencil (Bea Garcia). Side note: This book is aimed for grades 1-3. I had to stop reading so I could write this blog post because I think I might know how the book is going to end. I am not ready to find out if I am correct or not, so I wanted to pop in write about what has happened so far. 

Chapter 1 is titled My Magic Pencil. In this chapter, Bea shares that she is an artist. Her teacher, Mrs. Grogan, said that Bea's pencil was magical. Not magical as in abracadabra, but magic as in it helped her be able to draw anything! At the end of chapter 1, we meet Judith Einstein. Supposedly, she is the smartest girl in school. She always has her hand in the air ready to answer questions. Judith picks Bea as her partner for the geography competition! Bea is so nervous to compete with her, but so thankful she was chosen by the smartest girl in school. Judith begins to order Bea to study. Bea is challenged to learn 257 geography facts in less than one day. She tries her best but doesn't perform well on the quiz the next day. Bea decides to take one of Judith's pencils so she too will know all of the answers. I mean her pencil does allow her to draw well, so if she gave Judith her pencil and she took Judith's, they will switch strengths. Obviously, right? That is right where I stopped reading. Since I am a good reader, I am thinking about what might happen next. I think that Bea is going to rely on Judith's magic pencil instead of studying for the test and make a fool out of herself and Judith. 

I would love to have this series in my future classroom library. It is an easy read with many illustrations. This is a wonderful suggestion for a student who is just starting to read chapter books. I am excited to read the rest of the book to see if I am correct or not! If Bea doesn't do well at the competition, Judith is going to be so embarrassed and upset. Stay tuned to my blog and I will give an update!!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

When picking out books for the 20 book challenge, I try my best to look for new content. I don't mean new as in it was recent released. New as in I have never read that genre, never heard of the author, or never heard of the book. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is new to me. Because I plan to teach upper elementary, I make sure to grab books that are both above and below grade level when I am at the library. This book is definitely above grade level. I would love to use this text to teach a reading unit to a 6th or 7th grade class when discussing The Great Depression. 

I was shocked when reading the first few chapters because of how real it felt. It honestly feels like you are in Mississippi in the 1930's during The Great Depression. Mildred Taylor does an excellent job taking you to that place. I suggest using this text as a whole class unit because of how advanced it is. Students would benefit greatly from breaking this text down and analyzing it together, potentially in small groups. Scholastic provides a fantastic reading guide for this book. If I were to actually use this reading guide in my classroom, I would only use a few of the activities. After reading The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, I know whole class novel units are no longer the most effective approach to teaching reading or language arts. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry might be my one exception from the personal vow to not use whole class novel units. 

I have only read the first few chapters of this book, but I plan to finish it by tomorrow. I suggest this text for upper elementary for multiple reasons. First, I am impressed with the vocabulary used throughout the chapters. Words such as emblazoned, monotonous, and plaguing are frequently used. Most elementary students would not know these words. That is another reason I love this text. There is so much opportunity to grow as a reader from breaking the chapters down individually and analyzing them. And secondly, the concept of racial segregation can be a tough subject to teach. I think this book is such a raw depiction of The Great Depression.

I also wanted to mention that the Indiana Department of Education has amazing resources regarding civil rights and ethnic education. 

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite movie in the whole wide world. I can recite the movie from beginning to end. I watched my sisters copy of the DVD so many times, it stopped working. I know this movie like I know the back of my hand. But, I have a confession to make.. I have never read the book. *gasp* I know. I'm one of those people. I made it my goal this semester to read TFIOS so I no longer have to be one of those people.

If you have yet to hear about this incredible piece of art, let me give you a brief overview. Hazel Grace Lancaster is forced to attend a support group for cancer patients. (Literally, in the heart of Jesus). At this support group, Hazel meets Augustus Waters. Hazel originally was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, but it spread to her lungs. Hazel uses an oxygen tank 24/7 because of this. Augustus had osteosarcoma. He is now cancer free due to having his leg amputated. The two exchange book recommendations after hanging out one afternoon (outside of support group!). Hazel is to read The Price of Dawn and Augustus is to read An Imperial Affliction. An Imperial Affliction is to Hazel as The Fault in Our Stars is to me. Augustus reads her recommendation and he too falls in love with the book. Augustus decided to use his wish (similar to Make A Wish) to take Hazel and himself to Amsterdam to meet Peter Van Houten, the author of An Imperial Affliction. Turns out, this man is NOT who they thought it would be. He is a mean drunk who refuses to answer any of their questions. While the two were in Amsterdam, Augustus breaks the news to Hazel that his cancer is back and it has spread to just about every part of his body. When they return from their trip, Augustus organizes his own funeral. He asked his best friend, Isaac, and Hazel to give a eulogy at his prefuneral. When Augustus passes (I'm so sorry I spoiled the book for you, but I have to give an honest review!) Van Houten attends the funeral. He finally answers the questions Hazel asked him while in Amsterdam. Before Augustus died, he sent Van Houten his sequel to An Imperial Affliction. At the funeral, Van Houten gives the papers to Hazel. The book AND movie end with a quote from Gus' sequel that says, “You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”

I can't decide whether I like the movie or book more. Surprisingly, I didn't cry with either one. This story means the world to me. Teenage love is so pure. Throwing scary words like "cancer" and "death" into the mix is terrifying. I couldn't imagine having a diagnosis as such at seventeen. I couldn't imagine losing the love of my life at seventeen either. I recommend this book (and movie) to literally everyone. John Green is an incredible author. TFIOS is based in Indiana, which makes the story feel close to home. If you get a chance, look into this story! You will not be disappointed, I promise.

Icky Ricky The End of the World

Icky Ricky The End of the World by Michael Rex

This is a very eventful read! It kept my attention long enough to read the entire book in one setting! I sat down and read this book in less than thirty minutes. 

Icky Ricky is a typical B O Y. He loves mud, boogers, pizza, and baseball. Ricky and his friends were outside practicing hitting various household objects when the doorbell rang. The three boys went inside to check it out. To their surprise, it was a pizza delivery man at the door! Their dad didn't order pizza, they didn't order pizza... Who does this pizza belong to? 220 Longview Road was the address on the pizza box. But, that wasn't Ricky's address. He and his friends set out on an adventure to deliver this pizza to the correct residence. Long story short, the boys planned a funeral for the pizza because they absolutely destroyed it on their adventure. They buried the pizza blob (you will have to read the book to understand how the pizza is now a blob!) with a plate, knife, pencil, paper, baseball hat, and a tennis ball. Ya know, things it might need in the afterlife. The three boys went on another adventure, but this time their goal was to participate in the Cleanup Day in their town. While the boys were hunting for garbage, they found an abandoned vehicle. Then they found four tires along a trail. The tires rolled down a hill and into the ditch with green water right off of a sewer pipe. Ricky made his own hazmat suit so he could pull the tires out of the "water." I don't want to spoil the book for you, but these boys are always up to something silly! Their imaginations are incredible!

This book has MANY illustrations! I appreciate this since Icky Ricky is one of the first chapter series that students read! And last but not least, I would suggest this book to a 2nd or 3rd grader.

The Someday Birds

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla

This week I have started reading The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla. This was the first novel Pla ever wrote and published. I am not too far into the book yet, but I have read enough to crave more.

Charlie, the main character in this story, is obsessed with birds. Actually, he is obsessed with many things such as; germs, routines, organization, etc. I want to say Charlie has OCD or maybe he falls on the Autism spectrum, but I cannot be for certain. Charlie has an older sister and twin brothers who are younger than him. For the past few months, the children have been staying with Gram while their dad is in the hospital. Their father is a war-journalist and unfortunately when he was in Afghanistan he was hit with an exploding bomb. Before this event took place, Charlie and his father made a list called the "Someday Bird List." This is a list of all the birds that they would like to spot in the wild together. However, Gram just informed the children that their father will be moving to Virginia where they can do more extensive tests on him.

That is all I have read so far, but I cannot wait to see what happens next. I wonder if Charlie, Gram, and the siblings will all be making the trip to Virginia? And if that is the case, is Charlie going to try to mark some birds off his Someday Bird List? I wonder where Charlies mom is? I have yet to hear about her. 

Stay tuned for more updates regarding The Someday Birds.