9.29.17 {BOOKflix Friday} School for Good and Evil series

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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But first… some Reading&Tweeting

 

Description

The New York Times bestselling The School for Good and Evil, the first book in the series, is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. This paperback edition features an Extras section, giving readers a chance to see which school they’d be in and a Q&A with the author, Soman Chainani.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed–Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are?

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AAAAaaaaaannnnnnndddddd…. coming soon:

 

 

It’s not out yet, but Mr. Chainani offered sneak peaks over the summer. When I requested them, he sent me a bunch. How cool is THAT?

He’s also super active on Instagram. He’s released all kinds of videos and pictures and clues.

 

 

But it all starts with book 1. If you’re up for a challenge.

9.25.17 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? #TheScourge

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!

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First, let’s celebrate a GREAT victory by the Bills in the heat yesterday. Wow. I didn’t see this one coming!

Can we keep the winning ways going next weekend?

Also, remtember i told you that James was coming by to hang out last night? I snapped a pic for you.

Okay—ON WITH THE READING!

Description

As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor’s wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge — and quarantine colony — for the ill. The Scourge’s victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there. However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn’t know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She’s been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on. 
But will she and Weevil survive long enough to do so? 
The Scourge is an explosively thrilling tale of adventure and intrigue, courage and heart from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen.

Ani is a classic Nielsen character. She reminds me so much of Sage from The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy) and Nic from Mark of the Thief. They are down-and-out characters in terrible situations, but they are bold, brave, prideful, and rather careless. This combination makes Ani fun to read and root for. There were a couple twists in this one (as in all Nielsen fantasies) that may leave your jaw on the floor. Be ready.

 

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PERIOD 1&2 READ 9 BOOKS THIS PAST WEEK.

 Take a look at their book selfies (due by Tuesday’s class).

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PERIOD5&6 READ 24 BOOKS THIS PAST WEEK.

  Take a look at their book selfies (due by Tuesday’s class).

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PERIOD 8&9 READ 18 BOOKS THIS PAST WEEK.

  Take a look at their book selfies (due by Tuesday’s class).

Did you catch my

MrEtkinSHMS Instagram posts

this past week?

 

 

AUDIO BOOK

9.22.17 {BOOKflix Friday} #BestNightEver #ReadReadRead #BFFBucketList

There are tons of great book trailers out in cyberland, so get the popcorn ready.

Lights…Camera…Action!

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Before we get to a trailer, my daughters were dying to show me the results of America’s Got Talent from Wednesday night. Did you see it? A 12-year-old won. Here’s how:

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Back to the books!

 Yesterday I headed out to Monkey See, Monkey Do Bookstore to see two great authors and get a couple books signed. The first is a collection of poems all about reading by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater.

Mrs. L-V signed a copy for me, too:

Here are a couple pages from the inside:

 

To celebrate the new book’s release, she even had a cookie made to match the book.

Yes–that’s really a cookie.

And it was DELICIOUS!

Just kidding. I didn’t eat it…

Yet.

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Dee Romito was also at the book store to sign copies of her books. Her newest release is

 

However, I was particularly interested in seeing a book that she wrote with 6 other authors:

Why did this book interest me so much?

Maybe because I made the trailer for it:

We worked together once before when I worked with some students, now 8th graders, to make the trailer for another Romito book:

 

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It was a good day!

9.18.17 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? #Amancalledove #memory man

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!

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I forgot these from the summer—my two “grownup” books.

Honestly, I rarely read books intended for readers my age. It’s important for me to keep up with the great books that are published for readers like my students.

Often over the summer, though, I indulge a little bit. Both of these were GREAT.

A murder mystery.

A great story about a grouchy old widower with a hidden heart of gold.

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Did you catch my

MrEtkinSHMS Instagram posts

this past week?

I’m just getting started with this one. Mrs. Nielsen is one of my fave authors!

AUDIO BOOK

9.15.17 {BOOKflix Friday} WONDER!!!

There are tons of great book trailers out in cyberland, so get the popcorn ready.

Lights…Camera…Action!

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WONDER has inspired so much awesomeness, it’s hard to contain it.

 

Now the world is abuzz because after months of hints and pictures, the trailer for the Wonder movie is finally out.

BUT FIRST:

The BOOK trailer…

It’s hard to believe that the SHMS 6th grade got to SKYPE with Mrs RJ Palacio just before Wonder got huge. Check out this old blog post. It was an amazing day.

And now…

If you haven’t read the book, NOW is the perfect time. Watch it before the movie comes out!

from http://www.teachersdiscovery.com/product/25735/literature-posters

If you HAVE read the book, you might want to check out the follow-up:

 

Over 5 million people have read the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder—the book that inspired the Choose Kind movement—and have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face.

Auggie & Me gives readers a special look at Auggie’s world through three new points of view. Previously only available in ebook, now they’ll be published all together–complete with an introduction from the author on how she came to write them–in a gorgeous hardcover package!
 
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.

9.11.17 It’s Monday! What are you Reading? Back from summer

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!

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Since this is the first post on the IMWAYR blog, I need to share my summer reads first. This is most of them.  Are you ready?

 

This is the sequel to Sunny Side Up. I went to middle school with a girl who is missing her brother.

{By the way, most of these pictures are what I call BOOKselfies. We’ll talk more about those next week 🙂  }

I struggled to find a reason to stay alive, until I found someone to live for.

I spent my free time picking through other peoples’ garbage looking for the most important things—this was my punishment for throwing a brick at the local garbage picker.

I killed a kid when the slap shot I took on the local frozen pond hit him in his defective heart.

I wandered in a town in Florida that gets a lot of lightning strikes and a where a new girl from a northern city comes… and tries to steal my bff.

 

 

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I tried to do 65 good things in my neighborhood to make people’s lives better–even though my parents and brother had no time for me.

I learned what it was like for Shannon Hale to grow up and how she was quirky and had difficulty fitting in.

I was on the run–from the Nazis in WWII, the Cuban government, and the war in Syria.

I had a heart disease that the doctors couldn’t fix and almost died.

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I went to Oregon where the crime I thought my group had solved as kids turned out to by far from over–and became much more mysterious.

 

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I was a robot who crashed on an abandoned island and learned to live with nature; I even adopted a son.

 

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I went to the futuristic City of Ark where, after most of the world has been destroyed by natural disasters, people are limited to 500 words.

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The most recent book I finished was:

Description from IndieBound

Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true–and asks readers to separate facts from the fakes

Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower–a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn’t live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest?

Every story in this book is strange and astounding. But not all of them are real. Just like the old game in this book’s title, two out of every three stories are completely true and one is an outright lie. Can you guess which? It’s not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable. And they’re all accompanied by dozens of photos, maps, and illustrations. Amaze yourself and trick your friends as you sort out the fakes from the facts

The truths in this book were so fantastical that I almost didn’t believe them. It was almost impossible to figure out which of the stories was fiction. If you like reading about the crazy things that go on in our natural world, you’ll dig this book.

 

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Did you catch my

MrEtkinSHMS Instagram posts

this past week?

I’m just getting started with this one. Mrs. Nielsen is one of my fave authors!

AUDIO BOOK

Still searching for a new one…

9.8.17 {BOOKflix Friday} Raina Telgemeier’s Books

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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Raina Telgemeier is a student favorite. Every year, her books are some of the most-read books in my library. Let’s have a look.

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Fun Fact: I have a signed copy of Smile.

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Sisters is the follow up to Smile. This is another autobiographical story.

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Drama actually came before Sisters. If you like theater or acting you’ll especially like this one.

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Finally: Ghosts. Are you brave enough to read it?

About This Book

Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn’t happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister’s sake — and her own.

Raina Telgemeier has masterfully created a moving and insightful story about the power of family and friendship, and how it gives us the courage to do what we never thought possible.

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If you’re a Raina fan, as many are, you can join her 10.6K followers on Instagram.

 

Here is a sampling of her posts at https://www.instagram.com/goraina/.