12.8.19 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? SPARROW

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

&

the titles we are currently reading.}

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Before I share my book, remember that this week Thursday is the 5 week point of the marking period. You will be submitting your reading records so I can see your Q2 Weeks 1-5 reading. Be ready! 

And remember: INTEGRITY COUNTS.

Description from IndieBound

Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends. She would always rather stay home on the weekends with her mother, an affluent IT executive at a Manhattan bank, reading, or watching the birds, than play with other kids. And that’s made school a lonely experience for her. It’s made LIFE a lonely experience.

But when the one teacher who really understood her — Mrs. Wexler, the school librarian, a woman who let her eat her lunch in the library office rather than hide in a bathroom stall, a woman who shared her passion for novels and knew just the ones she’d love — is killed in a freak car accident, Sparrow’s world unravels and she’s found on the roof of her school in an apparent suicide attempt.

With the help of an insightful therapist, Sparrow finally reveals the truth of her inner life. And it’s here that she discovers an outlet in rock & roll music…

Thoughts…

I’ve said before: people are complicated. Our brains are tricky things. They are difficult to control.

If your brain tell you that you can escape by flying with the birds, it’s hard to argue with it. We all escape in different ways. Flying was Sparrow’s way.

It was a great journey to see Sparrow work through her problems and take big steps to becoming the person she wants to be.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the music. I was going to make a Spotify playlist of all the tunes mentioned, but I did a little searching first and someone beat me to it—thankfully: SPARROW Spotify playlist 

I•••

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

LET’S RING THE BELL!

Period 2&3 read 10 books this past week.

Period 5&6 read 14 books this past week.

Period 8&9 read 10 books this past week.

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AUDIO BOOK

 

 

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12.6.19 {BOOKflix Friday} Middle School series

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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Patterson has a whole site that features his books. I bet there are a few here you haven’t heard of.

You may have seen this movie… but did you know it was a book first?

Tap HERE to get a look at the inside of book 1!

How closely does the movie follow the book? You tell me:

If you want to get to know Rafe better, here are some little clips of him and his opinionated self:

Don’t forget the rest of the series AND some other series that you may be interested in:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

https://www.jamespatterson.com/landing-page/james-patterson-books-middle-school-series/ 

12.2.19 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? BLACK ENOUGH edited by Ibi Zoboi

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

&

the titles we are currently reading.}

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Description

Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today—Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America.

Black is…sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson.

Black is…three friends walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything, in a story by Jason Reynolds.

Black is…Nic Stone’s high-class beauty dating a boy her momma would never approve of.

Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—because there are countless ways to be Black enough.

Contributors:
Justina Ireland
Varian Johnson
Rita Williams-Garcia
Dhonielle Clayton
Kekla Magoon
Leah Henderson
Tochi Onyebuchi
Jason Reynolds
Nic Stone
Liara Tamani
Renée Watson
Tracey Baptiste
Coe Booth
Brandy Colbert
Jay Coles
Ibi Zoboi
Lamar Giles

 

My thoughts: 

What does it mean to be ________________.

Go ahead. Fill in the blank with your color. Your nationality. Your religion. All those things that explain what makes you you.

Black. White. Middle Eastern. American. Christian. Jew. Muslim. Male. Female.

What does it mean to be that thing? And can you be not enough of it? Or too much?

I don’t think so. We are who we are. There is no one way to be, and no right way to be that person. And that’s largely what this collection deals with.

Even though the stories in this book (which is definitely intended for high schoolers) don’t generally tackle issues of race directly, they are all about black characters dealing with life, love, parents, friends, school, dating, expectations, and family.

It certainly has me thinking…

And it reminds me of this poem by the famous Emily Dickinson:

What does that even mean?

•••

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

LET’S RING THE BELL!

Period 2&3 read 7 books this past week.

Period 5&6 read 11 books this past week.

Period 8&9 read 6 books this past week.

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AUDIO BOOK

 

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