Murder and Literature

Have you read this book? The Westing Game is such a fun class read (as long as nobody spoils the ending). In this unit we learned all about the elements of a mystery. We wrote our own mystery stories. We worked on inquiry and predicting based on textual cues. Best of all, the students get WAY into it and soon everyone is reading Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!

4th grade Sci-Fi

There is an astounding lack of material in this category. I am extremely depressed because I'd REALLY like to teach a Science Fiction novel next year (I'm trying to do one from every genre). Among the approximately ten books the librarian had on her list, there was the classic A Wrinkle in Time and a newer Newberry Award winner When you Reach Me.

I read When you Reach Me in 2 days and it was fantastic. It is a mystery that is inspired by A Wrinkle in Time but has no time travel until the very end of the book. It doesn't read like a Sci-fi novel, but is very intriguing and easy to read. I think it would be a good begining book for my fourth graders, but it kind of gives away spoilers to A Wrinkle in Time. This is tragic, because A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all time favorite books (and drips with sci-fi qualities).

So, my dear friends... I have a dilemma. Which book do I choose? Contemporary and easy to read or a classic that is more sci-fi??

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Twinkie Books

It's summer!! (insert cheering children here) This is DEFINATELY my time of year. There are probably a billion reasons I love the summer but here's my top 10...

1. It's time for Dodger baseball :)
2. I get to shrug out of those huge sweaters and slip into shorts and cute sundresses
3. I get to shop during the week so I don't have to deal with the crazy crowds
4. It's finally warm enought to hit the beach
5. Summer blockbusters (am I the only one holding my breath for Eclipse?!)
6. Friends always come home during the summer
7. vacations
8. bbq's and water fights
9. hanging by the pool with a margarita ;P
10. and like John Travolta said....Oh ohhhh those Suummer niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiights!!

What I like most about summer is that there's time for twinkie books! During the school year, it's all about broccoli books, you know... books that serve an educational purpose. Text books, classics, assigned readings- all broccoli books. I like broccoli books. They're great...in moderation, but who doesn't love the 'i can't put it down,' 'don't talk to me right now,' complete indulgence of a twinkie book?! Twinkie books are the essence of reading. As teachers we try to assign twinkie books to instill the love of reading in our students, but there's nothing better than finding that one book you can't put down.
I love that feeling and have just found my twinkie book series for the summer :)

Caution: The following books are FOR ADULTS ONLY and I'm DEFINATELY not recommending them for your classroom- only for your personal mental health ;P

If you are like me, you have totally fallen for the blood sucking-epic love story-vampire trend as seen in the Twilight series. Maybe, like me, you have read all of the books. Twice. If so have I got the series for you. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward is an adult Twilight. I found the seven-book series by recommendation of a few different friends and have already devoured the first four in a matter of two weeks. They are the ultimate twinkie books so don't start them unless you have some extra time to indulge- it's TOTALLY worth it. Lemme know if you agree! (but I know you will)

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My FAVORITE Story Book EVERRR!!

I love picture books, and I enjoy reading them to kids. The simplicity of the books and their fun stories make them so enjoyable to read. I have many in my own collection that range from classics and fairy tales to newer books and contemporary stories. However, when it comes to reading a picture book to a class, I have one ultimate favorite!!



The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

This book is the most fun "fairy tale" book to read to a class. It's narrator, Jack, has no clue what he's doing. He puts the table of contents before the title page and skips pages in the book. Century-old tales are cut up, ripped apart, and thrown back together haphazardly to create a menagerie of new tales. It is witty, sarcastic, and hilarious.


Caution: this book does say "stupid"(gasp!) several times and the class goes wild. I wouldn't really use it for a read aloud for classes under second or third grade because they might not understand the smart-aleck anecdotes throughout the stories!


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Book Review: Olivia Kidney and the Exit Academy

This is the second book in a three book series. It was actually re-named Olivia Kidney Stops for No One. It's a great story for those classes that say "We want something scary!!" They all do. I was never a fan of goosebumps and you can't give them anything actually scary because they're still kids (event though many do watch horror movies with their parents, but that's another post altogether..)

Olivia Kidney is able to talk to spirits! This book is a great big mystery and is written in a way that both adults and students will enjoy the humor! I would say that it is a good read aloud for grades 3 and up and that by fourth grade, students could read it by themselves.

What's really convenient is that if you used it as a read-aloud, student's would be inspired to read the rest of the series on their own!! Way to go you inspirational teacher you :)

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Book Review: Everything on a Waffle

Everything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath

I believe that you should NEVER assign something to your students that you haven't and/or wouldn't read yourself. Therefore, I have begun to indulge in fun elementary level books for my future reference (much more fun than Dostoevsky for sure!)

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I picked up Everything on a Waffle yesterday and just finished the 150pg. novel about ten minutes ago. It is a Newbery Honor Book and I would say it is good for the end of third grade/ beginning of fourth grade. Heck, who am I kidding, it would do as a read aloud in any grade actually!

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The story is written in the first person and is very engaging from the very first page! It's about a little girl whose parents are lost at sea. She goes through a very rough time trying to get the little town to stop telling her that they're dead, because she knows deep down that they're not. She tells of her misadventures in the little town and how she lost two digits in the process. The book is littered with recipes that sound delicious and little anecdotes on life. Definitely worth a place in your classroom library at the very least!

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