11.30 It’s Monday! What are you Reading?

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Guess what today is!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

{Celebrating the books we’ve read in the past week

& the titles we are currently reading.}

This meme is originated by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Thanks!

 

I’m 77% through my book (page 630 out of 827). I’ve been reading a ton, but this is a LONG book—and I’m taking my time because I want to soak up every word of this final book in the series.

 This is me reading over vacation. I wanted to sit with my family as they were watching a show, but I can’t concentrate on my book when the TV is on. SO I put on some wordless music (techno this time) and got absorbed in my book. While eating some licorice.

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Did you catch my MrEtkinSHMS Instagram posts this past week?

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 How many books did students in each class read last week?

What are they reading now?

Check out our Padlet to see students’ BOOKselfies.

Click the links below at 10:00ish and 12:30 respectively to see all students’ posts.

BTW—guests are invited to post a BOOKselfie too.

Period 1&2 read 13 books this past week.

Ready to see some beautiful pictures? Check out these BOOKselfies!!

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Period 5&6 read 9 books this past week.

Ready to see some beautiful pictures? Check out these BOOKselfies!!

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For every parent who leaves a comment on TODAY’S POST with what YOU’RE reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…

Did anyone comment on last Monday’s blog post?

Linda Sue Park recommended this one.

 So.

Many.

Good.

Books.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

David Etkin

11.23 It’s Monday! What are you Reading?

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Guess what today is!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

{Celebrating the books we’ve read in the past week

& the titles we are currently reading.}

This meme is originated by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Thanks!

 

I’m 32% through my book. Never enough time to read, but on page 261.

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Did you catch what was on my Instagram account this past week?

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 How many books did students in each class read last week?

What are they reading now?

Check out our Padlet to see students’ BOOKselfies.

Click the links below at 10:00ish and 12:30 respectively to see all students’ posts.

BTW—guests are invited to post a BOOKselfie too.

Period 1&2 

18 books read

 BOOKselfies Period 1 

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Period 5&6

9 books read

BOOKselfies Period 5

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For every parent who leaves a comment on TODAY’S POST with what YOU’RE reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…

No one a comment on last Monday’s post.

I think I missed one from the previous Monday.

Linda Sue Park recommended this one.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

David Etkin

11.20 {BookFlix Friday} The Lunar Chronicles—WINTER

Today is

Few things can draw a reader to a new book like a book trailer can. Each Friday I will endeavor to bring a couple to you—some new or recent, some teasers of upcoming books, and a few “classics”. Get the popcorn ready.

Lights…Camera…Action!

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 I’ve been talking about the Lunar Chronicles. Man is it cool. If I didn’t have to teach I could just read this last book in the series all day…

As I was reading I made a connection. I sent a tweet out and the author, Marissa Meyer, responded. That never gets old:

From FIREFLY

Star Wars

These guys:

OKAY—the trailers:

11.18 {Whatever Wednesday}: Student Guest Blogger—Gowtham waxes poetic

Whatever Wednesday —

a chance to post something I’ve seen that I’m diggin’: a cool quote or poster, a video, or simply a picture.

Enjoy!… and consider posting your own Whatever.

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{Eat the Book: I never know what my students are going to come up with. Book reviews? Check and check. Dancing? Check.

This week, Gowtham shares with us how a poem he read in fifth grade inspired his own poetry. Here he is to tell you more.}   

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Gowtham: At the end of fifth grade in June we had a unit where we could write anything we wanted and I chose poetry because I thought poems sometimes had really deep meanings to them. I wrote my first copy, then improved it more on the final copy.

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When your body fell to the ground you tried to hold on
When you couldn’t hold on you used your heart
When your heart stopped beating
You hung on to your soul
When your soul was destroyed
You were lifeless
but alive

You let go
but held on,
to your life

e

My poem meant to me to keep trying and never give no matter what happens. My poem turned out better than I expected it to be.   This poem was inspired by an Emily Dickinson poem. I found it by searching up poetry pieces on Google and the second image I saw was the poem.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – (314)

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –

And sore must be the storm –

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –

And on the strangest Sea –

Yet – never – in Extremity,

It asked a crumb – of me.

 

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{Eat the Book: Thank you for sharing your writing with us, Gowtham. It is a fascinating poem. I like that a well-known poem inspired you to write your own very different poem. I hope you keep writing!}

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.16 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? SHINGALING

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Guess what today is!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

{Celebrating the books we’ve read in the past week

& the titles we are currently reading.}

This meme is originated by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Thanks!

 

I missed the characters from Wonder. It was good to hear a new POV on Auggie’s story. Actually, this one had little to do with August at all. And that was OK. Charlotte had her own struggles and issues to deal with.

Will there be another book?

There are three of these WONDER stories:

They can be purchased together in the book:

 These stories are an extra peek at Auggie before he started at Beecher Prep and during his first year there. Readers get to see him through the eyes of Julian, the bully; Christopher, Auggie’s oldest friend; and Charlotte, Auggie’s new friend at school. Together, these three stories are a treasure for readers who don’t want to leave Auggie behind when they finish Wonder.

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Did you catch what was on my Instagram account this past week?

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 How many books did students in each class read last week?

What are they reading now?

Check out our Padlet to see students’ BOOKselfies.

Click the links below at 10:00ish and 12:30 respectively to see all students’ posts.

BTW—guests are invited to post a BOOKselfie too.

Period 1&2 

20 books read

 BOOKselfies Period 1 

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Period 5&6

14 books read

BOOKselfies Period 5

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For every parent who leaves a comment on TODAY’S POST with what YOU’RE reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…

No one a comment on last Monday’s post.

I think I missed one from the previous Monday.

OH, man! I have had this book on my calendar since last spring.

I finally get to finish the last book in this series—It was just born on Tuesday.

I can’t wait to find out what happens with Cinder, Kai, Wolf, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, and Queen Levana in this most awesome series, the Lunar Chronicles:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

David Etkin

11.13 {BookFlix Friday} Lost Boys

Today is BookFlix Friday!

Few things can draw a reader to a new book like a book trailer can.

Get the popcorn ready.

Lights…Camera…Action!

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We are working our way to the end of A Long Walk to Water. I enjoy being able to share with my students videos that bring the text to life. We are just at the part where Salva makes it to Rochester, NY (an hour down the thruway) and is overwhelmed by what he sees.

Today, instead of a book trailer, I want to feature a segment about the Lost Boys from 60 Minutes.

But first, how about another look of the movie trailer for God Grew Tired of Us:

And the 60 Minutes segment:

11.9 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? War Brothers, God Got a Dog, Enormous Smallnes

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Guess what today is!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

{Celebrating the books we’ve read in the past week

& the titles we are currently reading.}

This meme is originated by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Thanks!

 

This is my second time reading War Brothers. SO powerful. I’ll be sharing parts of this one with you shortly.

I couldn’t tell if this was blasphemous at first… but then I just settled on amusing. An interesting, quick read. What if God…Got a dog, went to beauty school, made spaghetti, or caught a cold? Interesting, playful writing by Ms. Rylant.

This is the second picture book I read aboutthe poet E. E. Cummings. A River of Words is the other. I liked them both.
The illustrations are lovely and the text is informative and playful. Do yourself a favor and read this one.

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Did you catch what was on my Instagram account this past week?

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 How many books did students in each class read last week?

What are they reading now?

Check out our Padlet to see students’ BOOKselfies.

Click the links below at 10:00ish and 12:30 respectively to see all students’ posts.

BTW—guests are invited to post a BOOKselfie too.

Period 1&2 

10 books read

 BOOKselfies Period 1 

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Period 5&6

18 books read

BOOKselfies Period 5

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For every parent who leaves a comment on TODAY’S POST with what YOU’RE reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…

Did anyone leave a comment on last Monday’s post???

I’m enjoying getting back into the spirit of Wonder reading Charlotte’s story. I didn’t realize whose story it was—I mean, who was Shingaling? An alien? This was a pleasant surprise.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

David Etkin

11.6 {BookFlix Friday} Adam’s Student Guest Post: The UNwind series by Neal Shusterman

Today is BookFlix Friday!

Few things can draw a reader to a new book like a book trailer can.

Get the popcorn ready.

Lights…Camera…Action!

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{Eat the Book: Adam started this series and couldn’t stop. When our library didn’t have the books he needed, his mom help him get the books from other places. That’s what readers do. Now— I hope your stomach is ready for this…}

Adam: This book is shocking. An outstanding book. This book plays on a gritty aspect. I say this because if you read the back, it only tells you a little bit of what’s happening in this new dystopian society. In the beginning, there is one part with a brutal bus crash. This will set the mood of the book. I was expecting a dark horror aspect throughout the book, but what I got was a gritty, twisting turning masterpiece. And there are three other books! I cannot wait to read the others. {ETB: He is almost finished now!} My favorite character is Lev—always back talking guards or an abductee in one case.

If you didn’t know, here’s the rundown. A civil war breaks out over medical rights. Because of this, when wounded soldiers come back to the Unwinding camps, they will Unwind a tithe so that soldier can keep moving and fighting. They actually had to change the name of the camps from unwinding centers to harvest camps. You can only be unwound from the age 13­—18. Your parents decided if they unwind you. What if your parents could Unwind YOU?

{I will need to skip a little bit of this at 3:04—3:30 and from 4:47—5:00. My stomach can’t take it.}

To be clear, you DO NOT want to be Unwound. Let’s say you’re being unwound. You are now a disrespected Tithe. You wake up In a gray room with surgeons telling you everything will be alright.  You’re dazed, searching for an exit because you’ve heard the stories. The stories of people being  picked apart, still squirming on the operating table, screaming like a dying pig. While they’re awake. This makes your skin crawl. Then you hear it, but don’t feel it. You look down to see your stomach in flaps folding over your sides. You see your heart beating steady. But once you see this it starts pumping faster, it just keeps going. Then, you see the teasers hit a nerve. You can’t blink. Yours eyes sting and water, but there is nothing worse than seeing your organs being piled onto the table
next to you.

Now tell me, would you like to be unwound, or see an unwinding? Well too bad!!

{ETB: Adam, I can’t help but point out that the section is written in 2nd Person Point of View. You put the reader in the place of the main character. Notice all they YOUs? YOU=2. Cool.}

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From the author’s website:

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would “unwind” them Connor’s parents want to be rid of him because he’s a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev’s unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family’s strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can’t be harmed — but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers’ ideas about life — not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

– See more at: http://www.storyman.com/books/unwind/#sthash.xg1ZfLdA.dpuf

 

11.2 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? The Nest

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Guess what today is!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

{Celebrating the books we’ve read in the past week

& the titles we are currently reading.}

This meme is originated by Jen and Kellee at TeachMentorTexts. Thanks!

 

I had fun making this picture with some help from Notability.

I also had a great time reading this book. It was fascinating. And creepy. I commented to a few in my online reading community that it reminded me a bit of Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls. There is truth… and there is fantasy… and it’s difficult to know if or when the two cross. The whole time reading The Nest, I was asking myself, “Are the angels real or in his head? Are they the good guys or the bad guys?”

I’m certainly not going to give it away here. Totally mystifying and intriguing. And did I mention creepy?

Did you catch what was on my Instagram account this past week?

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 How many books did students in each class read last week?

What are they reading now?

Check out our Padlet to see students’ BOOKselfies.

Click the links below at 10:00ish and 12:30 respectively to see all students’ posts.

BTW—guests are invited to post a BOOKselfie too.

Period 1&2 

14 books read

 BOOKselfies Period 1 

Period 5&6

25 books read

BOOKselfies Period 5

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For every parent who leaves a comment on TODAY’S POST with what YOU’RE reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…

Did anyone leave a comment on last Monday’s post???

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Time for some 

{Shhh. We won’t tell her you’re in sixth grade 😉 }

I picked up The Nest over this one… Time to get back to it.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

David Etkin