I have a stack waiting to read:  Mason Dixon Basketball Disasters, Melonehead and the Vegalicious Disaster, Ghost Buddy – Zero to Hero and The Adventures of a South Pole Pig.  The first three are part of different series that I really think are great for third and fourth grade readers.  I hope you’ll read some or all if them.  I have read parts of these series already (see other Monday posts) and I like how real the characters are.  They are ordinary kids with the same kinds of questions worries and wonderings of kids in our classroom and school have.  They help you know you’re not alone.  I plan to take the time to finish them this week so I can tell you what my favorite is.  The last in that list is another “maybe” for first read aloud.  It looks totally different and that’s what is so appealing.  We’ll see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book that I finished and hope everyone who is a fantasy fan – and even those who think they are not – will read is, The Golden Door by Emily Rodda.  Her writing is exciting and suspenseful.  She writes so that even though you, as the reader of fantasy,  know some of the things that are bound to happen – the youngest brother is going to be the chosen one, the magic is going to help him at the last minute, some of the ancient ways have been lost or misunderstood – you are not going to know how they will unfold at all.  I love that!

Rye, pure of heart, is the youngest brother living in a land plagued with skimmers.  They come to Weld by night in search of prey – they eat any living thing they can find, human or beast.  Recently the attacks have been more severe and the Warden needs to take action.  He issues a proclamation.  It is a quest. Any man 18 or older who accepts the terms of the quest will leave Dorn by a secret way.  While outside the city they must find and destroy the source of the skimmers.  Upon returning he will become the future leader of Weld.  Rye’s oldest brother, Dirk, is strong, steadfast and a determined leader.  He is 18 and among the first to accept the challenge.  A year later he has not returned.  Sholto, the middle brother, is studious and scientific. Different, but determined as well.    By that time he has turned 18 and is among the second group to go.  Two years later when neither has returned, Rye and his mother move to the Keep because they need the Warden’s protection and support to survive.

Rye can’t bear this life and determines to find his brothers and bring them home.  He also accepts the terms of the quest and is off alone – others no longer believe the quest is possible.  Readers quickly know that though Rye has deceived the Warden by saying he is 18, he has not broken any of the terms of the quest. He has not going to destroy the skimmers and has no desire to become leader.  He has gone to make his family whole again.  Readers also know that Rye is part of something much larger than he realizes.  It seems that he is “the one” who will be able to set things right, but what they are and how that will be done is a mystery.    You’ll be eagerly turning page after page to find out why Rye has been chosen and what he will do to fulfill his destiny.

This is the first in a trilogy.  What is exciting as a reader is knowing I will have to wait to the very last page of the last book in order to find the complete answer to my questions and fully understand the magic and mystery that surrounds Rye.

I did read the Captain Awesome books.  Eugene McGillicudy is definitely “Super Dude’s” biggest fan.  He has all 429 issues of the comic book.  He has formed the Sunnyview Superhero Squad with his best friend Charlie and the class hamster, Turbo.  He’s an ordinary boy, but he knows that evil is always close by.  It is his job to stop evil from doing it evilness and Eugene does a pretty good job.  On Friday I said I’d let you know which was my favorite.  I think Captain Awesome Save the Winter Wonderland might be, but I am glad I read them all.  You don’t have to read them in order, or even all of them, but there are little bits and pieces from each of the books that keep adding up.  I wonder what would happen in our class or in our school if we had a Captain Awesome.  What would you do if there were a person who dressed as a super hero because it made him feel confident and capable of doing the things he felt he needed to do?  Things like winning the spelling bee to defeat the braggy girl who put classmates down and embarrassed them in front of everyone or like diving into the deep end of the pool for the first time.

Check out the Captain Awesome website –  Don’t miss the trailer.  It is fun.

I’m also looking for the first read aloud for our class.  I think I may have found it in 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos.  Twitch, the Squirrel lives in the trees outsider a school.  He begins the story be explaining how much fun he has on the jungle gyms people leave in their yards for him often centered around a snack bar.  While he’s telling about this new “spinney disc” he loses track of time and gets chased away by a swooping owl.  Twitch runs to escape the owl, but unfortunately scampers across a dog’s nose.  The dog takes up the chase and, desperate to escape, Twitch runs through the open door of a school.  The dog runs in too, but being evening the custodian puts the ladder away, shuts the door and leaves for the night.  Twitch and the dog are shut in and the chase is still on.  The classroom pet of the room where the action of the chase is taking place tells each chapter – there are eight.  You’ll be eagerly reading to the end to find out how it all works out.  You’ll be laughing and shaking your head in surprise.

I also may have found the first read aloud in Emily’s Fortune.  I am still in the middle of this suspenseful, funny adventure so I’m not sure.  Emily’s just trying to make it to Aunt Hilda’s in Redbud.  She is trying to stay out of the clutches of Miss Catchum of Catchum Child Services and I’m happily reading to find out if she does.  All the while wondering how Jackson might help, why having a turtle named Rufus is important and bad things what Uncle Victor is up to.  If you have a chance to read either of these books let me know what you think – is it a good book to begin the year with?  Let me know.  In the meantime, what are you reading?

I hope you had a terrific weekend.  Mr. Eaves came home from a week of canoeing and camping with a few of his friends.  We celebrated Eliza’s birthday and I worked a bit on the greenhouse.  You’ll be able to see our progress at the back – to – school cookout.  It’s pretty exciting.  In and around lots of online reading I finished a few books that I think you’d have fun reading.  I finished Wednesdays in the Tower and reviewed it on Kids’ Books 101, along with Chained.  I really came to love that story though I had to work hard to stick with it at the beginning.  It would be a great book to read with a friend.  There is so much to think and talk about.  It feels like it takes place a long time ago, but it is now.  The characters are different and interesting.  I kept wondering why some of them made the choices they made and what would have happened if they’d made different ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Awesome to the Rescue is fun and funny.  It’s the first in a series that is still growing.  The good thing about Eugene  is that he loves comic books and super heroes.  The bad thing is that he just moved and has to start making friends in a new school.  Because of this his super secret super hero alter-ego comes to the rescue.  It’s pretty funny how Captain Awesome saves the day and rescues the class pet.  It also great how Captain Awesome teams up with Nacho Cheese Man – it is good to have a friend.  This is a quick and easy book to read – but the fun story made me want to know more.  I am on the look out for the rest of the series – they’ll be in 3E whenever you’d like to find out more about CAPTAIN AWESOME!  Come borrow them.

It had been a while since I’d read a Clementine book and I was glad that Clementine and the Spring Trip came to the top of my “to-read” pile.  I like her!  In this book the 3rd and 4th grades are going on a field trip to Plimoth Plantation.  She and Margaret have it all worked out – they’ll be partners and then Margaret won’t have to worry about any of the “dirty” stuff becasue Clementine won’t mind doing it at all.  Then Olive joins Clementine’s class and everything gets upset – it works out in the end of course, but it’ll surprise you.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to have Clementine walk out of her book and join our class – she had great ideas and a great attitude.  We’d have a lot of fun with her in our school.

Leave a comment and let us know what great books you’ve been reading!

It has been a fun week with lots of family and friend gatherings at our house.  That means lots of cooking and cleaning and the kind of work cuts into my reading time!  Hey – how can that happen?  It does.

I thought I would try to read some nonfiction this week.  I read The Fantastic Mr. Dahl by Michael Rosen reviewed here and Spiders by Nic Bishop along with Stronger than Steel by Bridget Heos.  I know lots of you may think spiders are creepy.  I’m pretty sure that walking into cobwebs freaks you out, but have you ever stopped to wonder how spiders make their silk and spin their webs.  Have you ever paused to consider how many different types of spiders you’ve seen?  They run, they jump, they drop and spin.  They are large and small, hairy and delicate.  They are never beautiful until you take time to consider how miraculous they really are.  After you read Spiders go for a walk and notice – what types to do you see?  Where do they life?  Stronger than Steel is from the Scientists in the Field series.  It is a very challenging book to read.  If you’re interested in spiders it is something you could read in bits a pieces as you learn how scientist are experimenting with spider silk and its possible uses.  You might be grossed out, but I think you’ll be totally amazed as you think about all the things that scientists wonder, question and do.

I’m also reading Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George.  (It’s the second in a series – you can read about Tuesdays at the Castle here.)  Celie and Castle Glower are connected in a special way.  Celie loves her castle.  She is interested in seeing how it changes and grows.  She cares for it and it cares for her.  Castle gives her special and important things to do.  This time Castle asks Celie to hatch and raise a griffin while uncovering the mystery of Castle’s past and the disappearance of griffins from the sky.  Every page will have you wondering right up to the very end.

Next on my pile are Captain Awesome, Chained and the 4th in The N.E.R.D.S. series.  Joe told me he enjoyed reading Tim Green’s Deep Zone.  That part of a series about football.  The author has written about baseball too.  Joe said it was great and he has pretty great taste in books and lots of experience with that genre.  What are you reading?  Let us know when you leave a comment.