3.11 It’s Monday! What are you reading? #Scarlet & Harlem Shake Vids

A new week, a new batch of books–both books finished and being read. Today is…

Ring-the-Bell Monday & It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

{Sharing what books we’ve read in the past week & the titles we are currently reading.}

{OK–that’s a pretty decent trailer, but the book is MUCH better. Yeah, it’s a little romancy, but there’s tons of action. Fights. Werewolf-type creatures. Escapes. Spaceships. Mechanics. Droids. Computer chips. Amazing to see this re-envisioning of traditional fairy tale characters. I was anxious to see where it was headed–now I’m just anxious for the next book. I haven’t read anything like this in quite some time. I’ll just have to bide my time until Cress (Rapunzel) comes out and I can see how she joins into the story of Cinder… and Scarlet… and Wolf… and Queen Levana… and Thorne… and Kai. 

If you’re interested in some short prequels, here is the link.}

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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]

Since last Monday, my A Class has read:

12 books

My B Class has read:

15 books

My C Class has read:

7 books

Before you see what the students are reading… what are you reading? Please leave a comment and let us know—and show the students that reading isn’t just a “school” thing.

(For every parent who leaves a comment with what you’re reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…)

[Check back at the end of the day to see the cool spinning pictures of what my students are reading.]

Click the picture below for A Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for B Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for C Class SpinCam

[If anyone else is using SpinCam to show what your students are reading, I’d love to know about it and link to my Friday post. Thanks.]

In case you didn’t see any of our Harlem Shake (AKA–NYC Shimmy) vids, here they are. What a blast:

Thanks,

David Etkin

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3.4 It’s Monday! What are you reading?

A new week, a new batch of books–both books finished and being read. Today is…

Ring-the-Bell Monday & It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

{Sharing what books we’ve read in the past week & the titles we are currently reading.}

Uhhh… I don’t know where the week went. Preparing for the False Prince book club and after-school Skype session, and this coming Wednesday’s WRAD took a lot of time. It’s all worth it. I did squeeze in this picture brand new picture book by WRAD guest Tanya Lee Stone:

{This book is very well done. Interesting and inspiring.}

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Did you see the great review of Nielsen’s The Runaway King in Sunday’s Buffalo News? Here it is:

Books in Brief: ‘Runaway King,’ ‘Thriller’

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen; Scholastic Press, 342 pages ($17.99). Ages 10 and up.

“The False Prince” was fine old-fashioned entertainment about an heir to the throne in disguise. This second book in Nielsen’s Ascendance Trilogy returns to the adventures of young King Jaron (who masqueraded as the orphan Sage in the first book) and continues the same page-turning suspense and nifty plot twists that made the first book so much fun. (This book is keyed to a slightly older audience, probably because of the rather grim amount of bloody violence.) Just weeks after Jaron has claimed the throne, in a kingdom under siege from all sides, he barely escapes an assassination attempt and decides for the good of the kingdom he must flee. As in the first book, he must maintain a constant juggling act, wondering whom to trust and recklessly gambling with his own life as he joins a pirate band led by bloodthirsty pirate King Devlin in the intriguingly colorful setting of a pirate hangout in Tarblade Bay. Nielsen offers memorable characters, a complex world of feuding kingdoms complete with maps and a vivid political backdrop as a maturing Jaron confronts the difficult realities that come with his kingly responsibilities. This book raises interesting questions about loyalty, war and the personal sacrifices required of a leader, particularly when it comes to Jaron’s friendships with Imogen and Amarinda, a romantic triangle that will interest the older readers in the books’ target audience.

– Jean Westmoore

Yeah, we knew her when….

On a separate note, Dede wrote another heart-warming message on the CCA Kids blog (check it out) regarding Wonder. I was alerted that my quote about the book was included. Here it is:

What an honor.

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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]

Since last Monday, my A Class has read:

20 books

My B Class has read:

24 books

My C Class has read:

15 books

{Thanks to Mr. Peterson for the logo.}

{Special thanks to Samantha L. for allowing me to borrow this, the sequel to Cinder. I’m really enjoying the continued story of Cinder, and the addition of Scarlet and Wolf. What will happen next???}

Description

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison–even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

{I received an ARC of this NF book when I saw the author speak a couple weeks ago. I was awarded for tweeting about the presentation.}

Still hoping for:

Before you see what the students are reading… what are you reading? Please leave a comment and let us know—and show the students that reading isn’t just a “school” thing.

(For every parent who leaves a comment with what you’re reading, I’ll give your child a BUSTED ticket…)

[Check back at the end of the day to see the cool spinning pictures of what my students are reading.]

Click the picture below for A Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for B Class SpinCam

Click the picture below for C Class SpinCam

[If anyone else is using SpinCam to show what your students are reading, I’d love to know about it and link to my Friday post. Thanks.]

FINALLY, on Wednesday, to go along with our celebration of World Read Aloud Day, each of my classes will be making a Harlem Shake video. Costumes/masks are fine (as long as they can be put on in… oh… 3 minutes). Remember, this will be a celebration of books and reading, so practice how you’re going to dance with a book. Perhaps your costume could match your book?

Here are two examples–one made by teachers, and one completely unrelated to reading.

Oh–remember the cool Wonder website with all the pictures, videos, and songs? The non-dancing guy in the front is the creator of that site. Thanks again, Mr. Wilhorn.

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Thanks,

David Etkin

Ring-the-Bell Monday & It’s Monday! What are you reading?

A new week, a new batch of books–both books finished and being read. Today is…

Ring-the-Bell Monday

{Wherein we share what books we have read in the past week.}

&

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Teach Mentor Texts for Jen & Kellee’s “original”.

{Wherein we share the titles we are currently reading.}

Description

Tree, a six-foot-three-inch twelve-year-old, copes with his parents’ recent divorce and his failure as an athlete by helping his grandfather, a Vietnam vet and recent amputee, and Sophie, a new girl at school.

Comment: A touching story oozing with symbolism. It would pair nicely with Laurel Snyder’s Bigger Than A Breadbox, which also deals with parents’ separation. Tree is an easy-to-like character who wears his emotions on his sleeve. 

My A Class read:

Acaseya–The Pull of Gravity, Mark–Ranger’s Apprentice #2, Tiana–Esperanza Rising, 

My B Class read:

 Dylan–Alex Rider: Scorpio, Matthew–Fortune Wookiee, Samantha–The Boy Project, Angela–The Boy Project, Rosina–39  Clues #6, Kenny–Old Yeller, Jonathon–Eragon, 

My C Class read:

Stephanie–The Secret Garden, Isaac–Origami Yoda, Dylan–Warp Speed, Roman–Closed for the Season, Montel–Zitface, Brittany–Dork Diaries #1, Jalen–Warriors Don’t Cry

 

TBA–after I check my pile at school.

A Class Books:

Alexis–Dog Day, Rebecca–Hidden Child of the Holocaust, Noel–Missing, Zahraa–Trading Faces, Daniel–Hardy Boys GN, Oniya–Voyage of the Great Titanic, Amanda–Catching Fire, Jaydah–Seeing Cinderella, Liam–Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Connor–Warriors

B Class Books:

Jake–Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, Josh–Among Hidden, Jonathon–A Monster Calls, Sean–MS–Worst Years, Kaleb–Haunting at Home Plate, Julia–Warriors, Annie–Dork Diaries #1, Katelyn–Bloody Jack #1

C Class Books:

 Andrew–Shadow on the Mountain, Adam–Harry Potter…Phoenix, Rana–Hunger Games,  Riley–Vile Village, Aaron–Travel Team, Cameron–Hardy Boys #8 GN, Colin–The Bat Boy, Tim–Templeton Twins, Alex—War Heroes: Voices from Iraq

Sooo…… What are YOU reading??? Please leave a comment and let me know.

8.27 It’s a Summer Monday! What are you reading?

Visit Teach Mentor Texts for Jen & Kellee’s “original”.

                     

“Thanks to Marissa Meyer, Cinderella is getting the cyborg treatment. Fairy tales are becoming all the rage, with the TV shows Once Upon a Time and Grimm spinning them through a modern filter. The 26-year-old Meyer’s debut novel Cinder, though, combines a classic folk tale with hints of The Terminator and Star Wars in the first book of The Lunar Chronicles young- adult series due out Jan. 3.”   –USAToday.com

“Cinderella is a cyborg in this futuristic take on the fairy tale, the first book in Ms. Meyer’s planned ‘Lunar Chronicles’ series.” –Wall Street Journal, in a round-up called “After Harry Potter: The Search for the Magic Formula”

“First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer’s brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension.” –STARRED, Publishers Weekly “Meyer creates here a feminist fairytale for modern teens.” –Shelf Awareness 

 From IndieBound:

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the Winter 2012 Kids’ Next List

“The story of Cinderella turned on its head and given a futuristic twist, Cinder is exciting, entertaining, and engaging. A plague is sweeping across Earth and there is no cure, the people of the Moon want to conquer Earth, and the annual Ball is coming in New Beijing. Suddenly, Cinder finds herself embroiled in all three events and she may hold the key to the future survival of Earth. This is the first volume of a planned quartet. I can’t wait for the next book!”

— Ellen Richmond, Children’s Book Cellar, Waterville, ME

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Description

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Marissa Meyer on Cinder, writing, and leading men

Which of your characters is most like you?   I wish I could say that I’m clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no—I can’t fix anything. I’m much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She’s a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side—things that could be said about me too—although she does find courage when it’s needed most. I think we’d all like to believe we’d have that same inner strength if we ever needed it.

Where do you write?  I have a home office that I’ve decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I’ve collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I’ll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch.

If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Cinder would you want with you?   Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We’d just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued.

The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is called Scarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book?   Scarlet is awesome—she’s very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that’s a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she’s been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren’t half bad either.)

 

My Comment:  Is this a retelling of Cinderella? Well, yeah. There’s a character named Cinder… a ball… evil stepmom… stepsisters (not both evil)… and that’s where the similarities end. And that’s OK with me. I thought this book was quite entertaining and  clever. The futuristic society–highly technological–and life on Earth in New Beijing after World War IV is well-imagined and clever. This kept me reading, curious to know how Meyer was going to wrap up all the loose ends.

Which, of course, they weren’t, because the story continues into the next book.

I’ll leave you to wonder if the Prince would truly be out and about wandering the sick streets trying to get his droid fixed; and how likely is it that Cinder, the bionic mechanic, would catch his eye.  Trivialities, I suppose.

I’ll be anxious to read the next installment when it comes out.

 

Well, since it’s back to work next week, I’m going to be focusing my reading on curriculum and planning for reading and writing workshop with books like—

Hello, nervous insomnia.

Thursday is THIRSTday

Thursday is THIRSTday– a quick weekly post to celebrate a good beverage…often accompanied by a good book.

This was inspired by @mselke01 and her Wordless Wednesdays.

So today…