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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Bookworm Buzz

Well, it is finally here, the last day of summer vacation for teachers.  It has been 65 days since vacation began on June 27th, and at the start of vacation I set a goal to read one book a day to complete the summer reading challenge for teachers.  As of today I have read  84 books.  Most of them were books for students, but there were a few in there that were just for parents, my high school friends and my middle school friends.  I did abandon three books this summer that just didn't keep my interest. If you have been keeping up with me on Goodreads, you know that I have read some fantastic books this summer.  Here are all of my reviews since my last post.  There are so many because about 20 of them were still on my "to-read," shelf in Goodreads, when in fact I had read them.  Enjoy!  Scroll down to the post below this to read an introduction letter for new 4th graders and their families.  See you on Wednesday!
Dear Hank WilliamsDear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to using it as a partner read or in a book club group. Mrs. Richards will have to get us several copies of this one.


View all my reviews

All the Lost ThingsAll the Lost Things by Kelly Canby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very nice story. Loved the illustrations. Many talk worthy discussions possible and will make a nice companion story to Pandora's Box myth.


View all my reviews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely loved it.  Can't wait to share this book with students!

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The Attack of the 50-Foot Teacher by Lisa Passen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Just for fun.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A funny rhyme book that will make readers laugh....and wonder,

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautiful story of friendship. Great for character education.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved it, fun and funny! Will definitely read this one this week!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun sequel to the original, can't wait to share it with students!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great story, lots of connections, love the message.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great for point of view!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful and the illustrations are beautiful.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A great book to share with students for many different lessons. 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, very well done. Hoping to use it in small groups or as a partner read.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A quick read, enjoyable characters and some surprises at the end.  Definitely for my middle school friends as some of the themes are not just right for 4th graders.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So much going on in this book and I was hooked right away. I enjoyed the characters and the plot but had some problems with it from a reality perspective. It was difficult to believe that not a single teacher before 6th grade intervened with Ally and her struggles or Shay and her struggles. I do think students will enjoy this book and I will share it with readers and will look forward to discussing it with them.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book. I will definitely add it to our writer's workshop launch unit as a mentor text.  There is a great message and it would be a nice addition to the character education text set.  The illustrations were very cool and will appeal to readers of all ages.



My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Cute story and fun illustrations!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A great way to learn about spiders! This will make a fine addition to our text set for Charlotte's Web!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fascinating book about chickens with great non fiction information supplied through a question and answer format.  I will add this to our new basket on bird books. Very neat!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really love this series and can't wait for the next one. A very important topic that will appeal to many readers, especially guys involved in athletics.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A great book to add to the launch of reader's workshop at the beginning of the year. Would be a welcome addition to k-2 classroom libraries.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! It will be on my shelf this fall as part of character education. I plan on having students partner read this book when the situation calls for it. Really great and cool pictures too!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was read to me on my iPad through my library's tumble app. Very cute and I loved the twist at the end!

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Lots going on visually, not really my cup of tea and I love graphic novels.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A nice story about what it means to be the new kid in school and how having the right teacher makes all the difference.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Beautiful illustrations. A sweet story about simple gifts.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
An interesting story in rhyme about the importance of reading. 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Just for parents. It has taken me a while to get to this one....so many kids/ya books to read, but I finally did. It was absolutely amazing, I loved it, couldn't put it down! Rich characters and plot and an enduring tale of true love, forgiveness and family. Thanks again, Mrs. Richards!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very nice illustrations. This will make a nice addition to our text set for The One And Only Ivan. Readers will be able to draw interesting parallels between the characters and the plot.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A friend recommended this book to me and she said that it would make a great addition to the mentor texts for when we launch writer's workshop and she was right! Mrs. Richards will have to get this one for the book room!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Beautiful illustrations and a great way to learn about woodpeckers, the mini lessons are endless here! I have read many books about birds this summer, I think I will need to start a basket just about birds!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely LOVED this book. I was laughing out loud in the library, I'm so glad it's o.k. to laugh out loud in my library! 




Sunday, August 23, 2015

A Big Bite


Welcome to all of the new students and their families to 4th grade!  Students please click here to view my welcome letter to you.  Parents can click here for a welcome letter.  See you next week!