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.
[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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat 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:
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:
“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 CCAKids 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???}
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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat 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.
“Feel the heat, fear, and uncertainty as you walk with 11-year-old Salva, who, in 1985, is fleeing his homeland of Southern Sudan. Linda Sue Park has crafted a gripping story of a ‘Lost Boy,’ all the more remarkable because it is based on a true story. Intertwined with Salva’s story is that of 11-year-old Nya, from a rival tribe in Southern Sudan. This ‘long walk’ will take readers into a troubled country, but a country still filled with hope due to people like Salva. This is a book for the reader who wants to look behind the headlines.”
— David Mallmann, Next Chapter Bookshop, Mequon, WI
A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.
{This is one of our Battle books, and I was VERY impressed with and moved by it. Mrs Park is from nearby Rochester, too, so the organization that is connected to this book is “local”. Check out the site:
{A few boys chuckled and snickered their way into my room before break to sign out The Boy Project. I figured it was a great time to read it myself. Though I was a little…ummmm… hesitant to read this in public, I DID enjoy it. I laughed through it, for sure, and wish I would have read a book like this when I was in middle school. Kara is a fun, honest, real character who seems like a cool chick. Stay tuned for an upcoming post (Wednesday?) about how this book became a Battle Book this year.}
{FABULOUS!}
{Clever and unique. It was fun to see the “author” interact with the illustrator(s). I wish I had thought of this.}
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
24 books
My B Class has read:
40 books
My C Class has read:
19 books
{Thanks to Mr. Peterson for the logo.}
{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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat 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.]
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.}
[If you liked—or are liking—The False Prince, you’re going tolove Jennifer Nielsen’s The Runaway King. Sage is back in book number two of The Ascendence Trilogy. He’s as bold, brash, and obstinate as ever (hmmmm… some of the same words my 7th grade science teacher used to describe me), but has the intelligence to match it. (Yeah—my teacher never said that.) Sage has a penchant for putting himself in terrible situations. And when they get really bad, he jumps from the frying pan into the fire. He is willing to risk everything to safe his country from the wicked neighbors.
I was silly to think that Nielsen was going to leave me calm and peaceful with a neatly wrapped conclusion. The end of King ramps things up another notch and I’m left waiting (waiting…waiting…) for book number three.
I wonder which Eddie Vedder song will inspire her this time.
I’m looking forward to our 6th grade Skype with the author at the end of the month. WOOT!]
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
14 books
My B Class has read:
16 books
My C Class has read:
7 books
[I’m two-thirds of they way through this fascinating, haunting, beautiful book. Just look at that cover. It beckons and calls. I’m so happy for Carey and Nessa—sisters who were living on their own in the Tennessee woods—and their newfound family. And the whole time I’m waiting for it all to come crashing down. Carey has a secret…
UPDATE: It’s 5:10 AM Monday morning and I just finished the book. Whew. What an emotional ride. I woke up for some reason and immediately thought of the book and how I only had 10% remaining. It seemed like the perfect time to read. Finishing the novel is worth the tired I’ll feel in the morning. More to come.]
If You Find Me
By Emily Murdoch
(St. Martin’s Griffin, Hardcover, 9781250021526, 256pp.)
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.
Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.
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{Thanks to Mr. Peterson for the logo.}
I’m looking forward to talking with Mrs. Levy. I also just found out she is sending along some BookSwag.
Still hoping for:
[I was just approved by NetGalley for the sequel:]
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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat 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.]
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.}
[This was a cool book. Amelia was a fascinating character–larger than life. She worked hard to promote herself and create an image that the public would latch onto. It worked. She will be remembered… forever?
Reading this reminded me of the Amelia Earhart display we saw at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Of course I had my picture taken with her:
As you can see, my wife was mortified.
Who’s reading this next?]
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
22 books
My B Class has read:
26 books
My C Class has read:
20 books
[I’m so pumped that I got the ARC from NetGalley. I’m about halfway through and completely engrossed. I had a good time tweeting with the author the past few days. Sage is such a great character. He is one sarcastic dude.]
Three kids get caught up in an adventure of historic proportions!
Anna, José, and Henry are complete strangers with more in common than they realize. Snowed in together at a chaotic Washington D.C. airport, they encounter a mysterious tattooed man, a flamboyant politician, and a rambunctious poodle named for an ancient king. Even stranger, news stations everywhere have announced that the famous flag that inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner” has been stolen! Anna, certain that the culprits must be snowed in too, recruits Henry and José to help catch the thieves and bring them to justice.
But when accusations start flying, they soon realize there’s more than justice at stake. As the snow starts clearing, Anna, José, and Henry find themselves in a race against time (and the weather!) to prevent the loss of an American treasure.
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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are 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.}
WHOA-WHOA-WHOA! First things first–
Today is the big day. The ALA Youth Media Awards will announce the big winners in youth literature.
This is the Academy Awards for materials for youth and teens. Here is the blurb from their site:
Each year the American Library Association honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.
[OK–in the interest of full disclosure, I mostly finished this book. It was due back at the library before I I got all the way through. I made it about 3/4 through, though. Amazing stuff.]
[What would you do if everywhere you looked you saw visions of a horrific crash… at a location with which you were familiar… that was going to kill people you knew? Let’s face it–everyone would think you were loco en la cabeza if you said it aloud. And yet, you knew (maybe?) that it was going to happen. Top that off with a Romeo & Juliet/Hatfields & McCoys-type family feud that keeps a relationship apart, and you’ve got Crash: Visions–Book One by Lisa McMann. I’m ready for the next book. (PS–Due to some language, I would not recommend this to my 6th grade students.) ]
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
10 books
My B Class has read:
13 books
My C Class has read:
9 books
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{Thanks to Mr. Peterson for the logo.}
Still hoping for:
Parents and students: remember, the False Prince book order and $ is due tomorrow. We want to get the order in so we can receive the books and start reading! I’m looking forward to talking it over with you and Skyping with Ms Nielsen.
“Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon”written by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
Cool interview with the author here (and you can hear him read a bit from the book).
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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are 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.}
[This was awesome! So much came together at the end–some surprising, some slightly predictable, as it should be. Sage was a great character. Fun to read about, but I bet he’s be tough to teach. I’m curious to see what happens with some of the secondary characters as the series moves forward. Now I’m hoping that my ARC of Runaway King, the second book in this Ascendance Trilogy, gets approved on NetGalley. Keep your eyes open, kids… More to come!]
False Prince feels like Royal Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
19 books
My B Class has read:
24 books
My C Class has read:
21 books
[I wasn’t intending to read this next–I had intended on reading Amelia Lost–but I had requested this from the library and it came in. I’m the first to get it. I had to read it. It goes along well with Prisoner B-3087, which I read last month.]
In a stirring chronicle, Doreen Rappaport brings to light the courage of countless Jews who organized to sabotage the Nazis and help other Jews during the Holocaust.
Under the noses of the military, Georges Loinger smuggles thousands of children out of occupied France into Switzerland. In Belgium, three resisters ambush a train, allowing scores of Jews to flee from the cattle cars. In Poland, four brothers lead more than 1,200 ghetto refugees into the forest to build a guerilla force and self-sufficient village. And twelve-year-old Motele Shlayan entertains German officers with his violin moments before setting off a bomb. Through twenty-one meticulously researched accounts — some chronicled in book form for the first time — Doreen Rappaport illuminates the defiance of tens of thousands of Jews across eleven Nazi-occupied countries during World War II. In answer to the genocidal madness that was Hitler’s Holocaust, the only response they could abide was resistance, and their greatest weapons were courage, ingenuity, the will to survive, and the resolve to save others or to die trying. Extensive end matter includes: – timeline of important events
– index
– pronunciation guide
– source notes
– maps integrated throughout text
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[I didn’t intend to read this now–but it JUST came in at the library and I couldn’t help it. I’m not sure this is a 6th grade book, so I’m trying to read it quickly.]
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{Thanks to Mr. Peterson for the logo.}
[I can hope.]
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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are reading.]
From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: “My father’s dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing “I Have a Dream” speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us—those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone.”
On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation’s history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson’s magnificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, 50 years later, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation’s past. Included with the book is an audio CD of the speech.
Jimi Hendrix was many things: a superstar, a rebel, a hero, an innovator. But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. A boy who played air guitar with a broomstick and longed for a real guitar of his own. A boy who asked himself a question: Could someone paint pictures with sound?
This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way. It is also a story of a determined kid with a vision, who worked hard to become a devoted and masterful artist. Jimi Hendrix–a groundbreaking performer whose music shook the very foundations of rock ‘n’ roll.
[http://trendland.com/the-new-jimi-hendrix/]
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[An amazing end to the trilogy. It reminded me a bit of Ness’ Monsters of Men. Looking forward to discussing further.]
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
13 books
My B Class has read:
17 books
My C Class has read:
11 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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are reading.]
The only thing worse than forgetting her past… is remembering it.When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.
Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?
From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.
This was a fascinating book that took a few turns I wasn’t expecting. Part “love” story, part Terminator, part Dark Angel (does anyone remember that show?), UNremembered was a fun, quick read that delivered on the cool trailer. (There wasn’t a lot of romance in this book—thankfully—which the trailer seemed to indicate, but this is book 1 in a trilogy so there may be more to come.) Keep your eyes open for this novel by Jessica Brody coming in March.
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
8 books
My B Class has read:
14 books
My C Class has read:
10 books
[Really this time!]
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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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are 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.}
STUDENTS RETURN TO CLASS ON WEDNESDAY. THAT’S WHEN I WILL BE SHARING THIS WITH THEM AND HAVING THEM SHARE THEIR READING.
I worked through the first two books of Condie’s Matched trilogy.
I read this digital ARC from NetGalley–This author won the Newbery two years ago. This book is a strong contender, I’d say. It comes out Next week.
I even squeezed in a recommended YA graphic novel…
…and two easier ones. OMG–I thought these were a HOOT:
And after reading a blog post about great Christmas picture books, I went online and requested these from the library:
This vacation was also a great time to catch up on the picture books that I’ve been reading so much about but haven’t been able to read. I struck it rich on a trip to the library:
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[Check back throughout the day for updates of my students’ reading.]
Since last Monday, my A Class has read:
31 books
My B Class has read:
39 books
My C Class has read:
18 books
I picked up this ARC from Monkey See, Monkey Do… bookstore. It is coming out in March. I started it yesterday and it already has me in its clutches.
I’d also like to start the end…
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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.
Mrs. Rose Facebooked that she’s reading “An Echo in the Bone” by Diana Gabaldon ( book 7 in her Highlander series)
(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 seethe cool spinning pictures ofwhat my students are reading.]