The 39 Clues: One False Note by Gordon Korman

The second in the 39 Clues series, I found One False Note even more intriguing than the first. The Cahill kids continue to trek across Europe, narrowly escaping their family members in pursuit of the clues (and fortune, fame, etc.). In an effort to not repeat myself in each of these 39 Clues posts, I'll cut right to the chase: my questions/comments.
1. The series seems committed to involving readers in the hunt for the clues. The front cover of each book comes with 6 game cards packed neatly inside, and if you visit the website you can use the codes on the cards to play along and earn clues. In each book I've noticed a deviation from the normal page numbering at some point, and for 20 or so pages the corners will be marked with a series of numbers/letters. Although I myself haven't been motivated enough to play along, I can only assume readers can find additional clues that way. I'm hoping when I start a book club with the first book, I'll have kids willing to do the legwork on this investigating for me.
2. I can distinctly remember the opening to every Baby-sitters Club book, where Ann M. Martin reiterated the situation of each character so you could follow along even if the first one you read was, say, BSC #74 (because, you know, those were complicated scenarios. Claudia had diabetes. You had to know that to understand the tension when someone brought ding-dongs to the meetings.) It annoyed me then. It annoys me now.
3. The kids are travelling around the world, and all the clues are rooted in history. A+ for accidental knowledge gained by readers in the areas of history/the arts/languages/etc.
4. The Cahills are averaging one clue found per book. I think I read that the series is only going to have 7 or 10 books - I know I'm not a math teacher, but... I'm curious to see how it plays out. I actually have a vague theory, but I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't read the books yet.
5. Why does the cat say "Mrrp?" Seriously. Why?
On my book log in my classroom (the one on giant chart paper so the kids can keep tabs on my reading), I rated #1 an 8 and #2 a 9. I'm definitely hooked enough to keep reading, and I'm confident my kids will really enjoy them as well.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

The fourth book is here, and 9- to 12- year olds across the country couldn't be happier. After advertising and organizing the pre-orders at school through our Scholastic Book Fair, I found myself at Target on the 12th and grabbed one off the shelf myself to read immediately. Yes, the next day I was ordering a delivery to be rushed to my school. Yes, two days later a box of 46 copies was to arrive at my door. But I could not resist getting in on the fun of the much anticipated release date.
As for the book itself? Still entertaining. This one details Greg's summer vacation of: trying to laze around the house, lamenting family bonding time, and the beginning of the end (at least it seems) of his friendship with Rowley. Oh, and trying to be macho in front of the cute girl at the pool, of course. After reading 4 DWK books, I'm still bothered that Greg is so oblivious to the things he does that are mean or obnoxious to others. I still look for that brief glimpse of "oh I shouldn't have done that" or "why don't I do something at least a little bit nice to make up for it," but I know that's not the reality of his character. In the meantime, I'm still loving how wildly entertaining they are to kids and could not be happier as a teacher that I have students who LOVE. TO. READ. Kinney's books.

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The new series The 39 Clues stars brother and sister orphan duo Amy and Dan Cahill as they trek around the world, finding clues to solve an ancient family mystery. With an au pair to assist them, the kids travel from country to country in an attempt to find clues that will ultimately lead them to an unknown, yet infinitely powerful, prize. The Cahill kids aren't the only ones trying to solve the mystery, of course. Their extended family members have formed teams in search of clues as well, and despite family ties they seem to stop at nothing to get ahead in the chase.
The 39 Clues Book One: The Maze of Bones (guided reading level R) is written by Rick Riordan, but each book in the series is penned by a different author. With the clues connected to major historical figures, a young reader will get a nice history lesson along the way. Think: The Da Vinci Code for kids, only without the religious aspects.
I am hoping to use the series as a book club with some of my students a bit later in the year. Each book comes with a set of playing cards, and there's a website where readers can enter their card codes and play along with the mystery online.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor!

I had the distinct pleasure of attending an author's dinner with Phyllis Reynolds Naylor at the fancy downtown restaurant Chef Geoff's last week (thanks to Scholastic for hosting the event!). As I told my students the next day, it was just like my own Dear Mr. Henshaw moment and I was pleased as punch to sit right next to Ms. Naylor during dinner. She was, of course, entirely sweet and adorable as she asked me about what my students are interested in reading these days (I gave a shout out to Jeff Kinney's DWK series, as I should have given the rate they fly off the shelves in my classroom) and shared stories of her writing life with us. Later in the evening she shared her remarks on her newest book, Faith, Hope, and Ivy June, after which Scholastic gave us each a copy of and she signed them all.
Favorite story of the night: Over dessert, Phyllis asked my table if we would like to hear the story of when she won the Newberry for Shiloh. After a resounding "YES!" she proceeded to explain that she was eating her cereal one morning while her husband was out for a jog when the Newberry committee called her. "You've won the Newberry!" they exclaimed. "But my book only got one star!" Phyllis exclaimed back. After assuring her that they all loved her work, the committee shooed her off the phone so she could answer the forthcoming phone call from The Today Show. After hanging up with the committe, Phyllis admitted that she wasn't sure whether it had all really happened or not. She figured she would just stand and stare at the phone - and if it rang, and if the voice on the other end was from The Today Show, she would know it was true. Sure enough, the phone rang and within minutes she was recieving instructions to pack her bags and get to New York by that evening so she could be on national tv the next morning. After explaining what a shock it was to be expected to be in New York that very same night, Phyllis then said, "My husband says that when he got home from his jog, I was standing on the front porch and I said, 'Rex - I have 24 hours to lose 30 pounds!'"
Many thanks to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for such a wonderful evening.

Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter

I love Ivy and Bean books (guided reading level M-N) because they're finally something different than Junie B. Jones - and they're good for a similar low-level reader. The plot formula seems to be the same in each book: Bean gets into a lot of things she shouldn't; somewhere along the way she drags Ivy into the mix; in the end she makes her big sister mad and then maybe will get in a bit of trouble with her mother.
I used to worry about books with characters that set less than stellar examples of behavior for kids (okay, so I still worry about it sometimes) - but what I once read was that it's good for kids to read books where the characters are kids doing bad things, because then the readers get to live out the trouble-making vicariously and not actually do the bad things themselves. So here's crossing my fingers that none of my students start climbing into locked crawl spaces or ruining their neighbors' yards with massive amounts of mud anytime soon...

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

I'm not sure why I never took much notice of Heartbeat when it was in my library last year - maybe because most of my students had overlooked it; or because I hadn't read Love That Dog or Walk Two Moons; or because even though I noticed the cover, I wasn't immediately drawn into the book by the yellow apple. A rushed grab-anything-off-the-shelf-you-haven't-read-yet on the last day of summer school, however, led me to finally read Heartbeat on the flight to my vacation. And how glad I am that I did! The story of a young girl who loves to run, her friend Max who shares a love of the sport, and her small family - pregnant mom, dad, and elderly grandpa - is sweetly simple yet intellectually interesting at the same time. I loved the narrator's strong voice and sense of self as she attempts to make sense of those around her. I will definitely book talk it this fall - since it's written in poetry it may be a hard sell for some kids at first - but ultimately would be a pretty simple read for many junior high students (guided reading level W: great for 6th/7th; a good push for 5th).

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

The third book in the Wimpy Kid series, I found this to be the funniest one yet. My students had started reading it before me because I couldn't hold them off once the new copies arrived at school - even for the few hours it would have taken me to read it! After hearing so many of my kids laugh out loud during our SILENT reading zone time (it was painful, but I managed to tolerate it without getting mad at anyone enjoying a book :) ), I was hardly surprised when I, too, actually laughed out loud while reading a few parts. The conflict in The Last Straw is between Greg and his father, with the usual other characters playing their usual roles. Highly enjoyable, and still seems a great fix for reluctant readers in older grades.

State of the Blog

I recently attended a seminar on reader's workshop where the presenter, Frank Serafini (love him!), said something that stuck with me. I am paraphrasing here, but it was along the lines of if we are to be teachers of literacy in today's age, we ourselves must be literate in ALL the ways our students are/will be literate. That is, we need to not only read literature - for ourselves, for our students - but we need to read websites and blogs and tweets and all the rest. And furthermore, we should be posting on websites and blogging on blogs and tweeting on twitter! This forced me to remember that once upon a time I had, in fact, started a blog that I promptly dropped when life got busy...
So here it is! All out of order, posts moved from the old blogger site to this one, reformatted and thrown into disarray without any bells and whistles. My thoughts on children's books, as I read them.

No Talking & The Landry News by Andrew Clements

No Talking:
I really enjoyed this new Clements book. As is typical of his stories, it matches kid vs. school-adult in a large battle of wills. This time, the main character begins a contest at his school to see if all the 5th graders can stop talking for two days. Each chapter follows a different character’s involvement, from the students (it’s a boy-girl contest) to the teachers to the principal. It doesn’t exactly leave the reader with many enduring thoughts, but is enjoyable while reading. I think most kids would at least consider what daily life would be like if they completely stopped talking - and a few intrigued readers would probably attempt to do so (although maybe only for a few minutes, at best)!

The Landry News:
Again, a really typical Clements book - quick & enjoyable! I think my only complaint is that the main conflict isn’t a very believable one - it was a bit hard to see more than just one side of the story. But, I liked the main characters (a girl who writes her own newspapers and the burned-out teacher who finally begins teaching again to help her) and the plot moved along quickly. The best part, I thought, was that the formatting of the chapters, pictures, font, etc. is newspaper-like. Clements also works in some decent insight about kids of recent divorce, so perhaps a particularly good recommendation for a student who has divorced parents.

Clockwork by Philip Pullman

This turned out to be a creepy little fantasy-fiction story about an apprentice clock-maker, a disturbing doctor, and sickly prince in a small German town. The story is well-crafted, with several storylines coming together like the gears of a clock. It is written on a pretty advanced reading level (guided reading level Z) and might be hard for some students to follow if they’re not prepared for reality and fantasy to entertwine so closely. There’s plenty of evil and fantasy (and even a few untimely deaths) to keep the Steven-King bound reader engaged.

The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick

I picked up The Young Man and the Sea as a possible choice for a survival unit at school. I had not heard of the author before (who, as it turns out, wrote Freak the Mighty) and wasn’t sure what the connection might be between this and The Old Man and the Sea. I’d have to re-read Hemingway to make any conclusions, but I did notice that the writing style had its similarities. I remember reading that people can learn to fish from reading Hemingway, and after finishing this I feel as though I could give fixing a boat or harpooning for tuna a pretty good shot. I was pleasantly surprised at how gripping the plot turned out to be, and enjoyed the book very much. I think it’s a great potential to read aloud, or as part of a surival series. The narrator’s voice is a young boy who has less than perfect English. I always wonder when I read writing like that - does it matter one way or the other to give students books with incorrect grammar? Is it worth a lesson or conversation to even point it out? My first reaction is that yes, kids would like reading the voice of another kid, and could appreciate a dialect/slang style different than their own. Further, what a great writing lesson on the voice of the narrator! But I’m open to other commentary on the subject.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

I re-read The Witches in August when trying to pick my first read-aloud for the year, and I’m so glad I decided on this one. Not only did I enjoy reading it to my nephew (for practice), but it is rapidly becoming a favorite of my students. They squeal with delight when Dahl describes the witches (we haven’t yet met the convention of witches - we’ll get to that this week); they find the grandmother hysterical with her cigars; they are already worried about the fate of the boy. I would say it’s a perfect read-aloud for a 5th or 6th grade class, and I am especially enjoying it as our first shared novel since they are so eager to hear the next chapter - a good way to start the year!
For independent reading: The Witches is guided reading level R.

Room One by Andrew Clements

I have to admit I wasn’t so impressed with this one. Room One is a mystery, so I thought it might be a typical Clements plus a little suspense - but it wasn’t that mysterious at all, and the plot seemed a little thin. I wasn’t that drawn in (although I did read it in a day, so I was interested enough to keep reading) and got a bit bored with the main character. I think I’ll recommend it for kids who keep trying to pick from the very few “cheezy” books I have in my classroom library, and hope it helps push them towards better books.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

I’ve been putting off posting about Elijah of Buxton, which I read last May, because the book was simply SO GOOD that I’ve been afraid I won’t be able to do it justice. The latest from award-winner Christopher Paul Curtis, Elijah (which won a 2008 Newberry honor) tells the story of the first free settlement of former slaves in Buxton, Ontario. Curtis masterfully crafts the story of 11-yr-old Elijah, who endearingly falls in and out of trouble throughout the book. Elijah’s playfulness is continually set against the serious backdrop of slavery and freedom, which plays out in the final chapters in the most moving & beautiful manner. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in young adult literature.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

After enjoying Clockwork so much, I picked up Coraline because of Philip Pullman’s endorsement on the front cover - and I was not disappointed. Gaiman introduces Coraline as the lone daughter of two absent-minded parents who often ignore her. When she discovers a hidden door in her apartment, Coraline stumbles into the creepy of her “other mother” who tries to trap Coraline by showering her with attention and love - in return for her soul. Coraline eventually needs to save her real parents from the evil other mother, thus finding happiness within her own ordinary life. Creepy, scary, and thrilling; a bit above most of my readers right now (guided reading level W) but a good goal for winter/spring.

Coraline is also being made into a movie, and a graphic novel version has already been made & released. I previewed the graphic novel online and didn’t agree with the depiction of Coraline, but would be interested to see if it is useful for students who have trouble organizing the plot & characters in their minds.

Hatchet by Gary Paulson

I started Hatchet as my read- aloud in my 6th grade class- room, and I’m not sure if I’ll repeat it again next year. I love this book and I clearly see the value in teaching with it, but I find that the writing style (while brilliant!) doesn’t lend itself to being read aloud as much as read independently. The constant stream of Brian’s thoughts, often so repeatitive in nature, isn’t as comfortable to read out loud. I find myself wondering as I’m reading - would my eyes just skim over these sentences rather than focusing on each word when I have to read it out loud? Do the moments that feel awkward to me as the reader sound awkward to my students as listeners? I knew I would love the rhythm of the writing, and I do - but there’s something too dense about the description to keep the attention and focus of all my students. Perhaps next year I will try a different survival book (A Week in the Woods? I would love to have a Clements read-aloud) for read-aloud and highlight Hatchet in mini-lessons and push it as an independent reading choice.

Plenty of my students are whipping through the rest of the Brian series as I’m reading Hatchet, so that’s definitely a bonus. I should poll those who read Hatchet independently versus those whose only experience is the read-aloud to compare its likeability in both groups.

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements

I finished reading A Week in the Woods while on an overnight camping trip with 60 of our sixth graders, and I’m glad I’ll be able use it in a book talk next week. My students were adorable as they talked about Brian from Hatchet throughout our trip, so I know the interest level will be high in another outdoors story. A Week in the Woods is really a cross between a typical Clements school story and a survival story; the main character becomes very interested in camping and the outdoors early on but doesn’t actually get lost until the last few chapters of the book. As is common with a Clements novel the main character (Mark, the only child of a famous Hollywood couple who moves to a small town mid-way through his 5th grade year) clashes with a teacher (the science teacher who is running the camping trip) but in the end they come to understand, and even like, each other.

I keep trying to decide if A Week in the Woods or Hatchet should be the survival read-aloud next year, but I can’t make up my mind. I’ll have to see what my students think after they read A Week in the Woods.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Read it. Love it. Share it.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

I chose Fever 1793 as the read-aloud during our historical fiction unit. Set during an outbreak of yellow fever in Philadelphia, the novel contains many elements I had been searching for: a strong female character, adventure, injustice, and (of course) history. Written by one of my favorite YA authors, the quick-paced plot follows Matilda through a variety of challenges during the epidemic. She rises up to become a mature young woman who reaches out and helps others in a time of great need, and I appreciate the connections my students can make to her. Matilda is one hundred percent REAL - she avoids her chores, she seeks her mother’s approval, she has a crush on the local painting apprentice - and my students enjoy her for that. I am hopeful that at the end of the story they will admire her courage and compassion as well. Highly recommended for 6th, 7th, or 8th graders; a great hook into historical fiction.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I have recommended this book to simply every person I have spoken to about young adult literature since I started reading it, and I know my review cannot possibly do it justice. I fell in love with the main character, Isabel, within the first few pages, and her gripping story took such strong hold of me that I was sad to put it down whenever I ran out of time to keep reading it. In the middle of the book, I was horrified at the events (teachers, you should definitely read the book before giving it to students so you are ready to discuss the events with them) and was literally moved to tears. At one point, I thought I couldn't possibly read it aloud to my sixth graders because it might be too overwhelming and tragic for some to handle; by the end I thought I wouldn't be doing my classes justice if I didn't read it to them.

Following weeks of anticipation from the kids (I couldn't stop talking about how good it is ~ and they knew and loved Laurie Halse Anderson from a previous read-aloud, Fever 1793) I began Chains as our new read-aloud at the end of April with my 3 sixth grade reading classes. Within the first few chapters the majority of students were hooked, although a few students in each class (2-3 in two of my classes, as many as 5-6 in my right-after-lunch-kids-are-hyper class) never gave the look of enthrallment save the three chapters in the middle of the book when Isabel is caught and punished. The comments, questions, and predictions after each day's reading were the highest quality that I had heard of any of our read-alouds for the year, and many students showed a real understanding of the time period for the first time.

I sincerely hope Anderson writes books 2 and 3 in the series SOON and the 7th and 8th grade teachers at my school even promised to read them aloud to the kids if they are published in the next 1-2 years! Now that I'm moving down to 5th grade reading, and I know I can't read Chains to such young students, I might try to recommend it to the 7th or 8th grade English or history teachers as opposed to 6th.