Must Read Monday {4-28-14}

I recently finish Three Times Lucky and I couldn't put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! No wonder it won a Newberry Honor Award. Then while I was at the public library browsing the new book section, I saw that Shelia Turnage had a follow up book called "The Ghost of Tupelo Landing". I got it right away and began reading. The main characters Mo and Dale are very humorous and always end up right in the middle of the action! Both of these books are mysteries and I have a feeling when I share the books with my students they will be fighting over them.

On another note, Three Times Lucky would be a great read aloud or book club book for students grade 4 and up. If I recall correctly there were a few questionable parts in the beginning that might not be appropriate for younger kids. I could be totally wrong though because I read it a few weeks ago.

Description from Amazon for Three Times Lucky:

 A hilarious Southern debut with the kind of characters you meet once in a lifetime 

Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.

Full of wisdom, humor, and grit, this timeless yarn will melt the heart of even the sternest Yankee.

Description from Amazon for The Ghost of Tupelo Landing:

The eagerly anticipated followup to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times Lucky

Small towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are -- no matter how many murders you solve.

When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print. Naturally, Desperado Detective Agency (aka Mo and Dale) opens a paranormal division to solve the mystery of the ghost's identity. They've got to figure out who the ghost is so they can interview it for their history assignment (extra credit). But Mo and Dale start to realize that the Inn isn't the only haunted place in Tupelo Landing. People can also be haunted by their own past. As Mo and Dale handily track down the truth about the ghost (with some help from the new kid in town), they discover the truth about a great many other people, too.

A laugh out loud, ghostly, Southern mystery that can be enjoyed by readers visiting Tupelo Landing for the first time, as well as those who are old friends of Mo and Dale.

Thanks for stopping by! I love comments and new book suggestions!

~Susan

A Peek at My Week {Spring Break Edition}

I'm linking up with Jennifer over at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings. Head on over to see what others are doing during the week.

My Spring Break is FINALLY here. Boy do I need the break. Some of my students have been giving me a run for my money. But now that it is here I'm all rested and plan on taking some day trips. Today my husband and I are planning on going to Linville Caverns! Pictures will be posted on my instagram! :) Tomorrow we are going to the NC Zoo with some great friends! On Wednesday, I'm going to visit some family. Then on Thursday one of the girls in my grad school class and I are going to observe some teachers at Ibraham Elementary School. Finally on Friday I am going into school to level my classroom library. (We had three optional workdays this week due to the snow days. I took off two but felt bad taking off all three). 

Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to level a classroom library? I plan on using Scholastic Book Wizard to get the levels. But I'm not sure the best way to organize them. 

I'm also going to link up for Must Read Monday over at Teaching Madness.

The focus this week is on Poetry.

Below are some of the books I use to teach poetry. I like to focus on free verse poetry when it comes to writing poems because students aren't required to write poetry for the CC standards. This gives them no limits and they can get used to writing in the poetry genre. In order to prepare students to write poetry I have them read a variety of poetry forms for weeks before we start writing. In Katie Ray Woods's book Study Driven she called this the immersion stage.With that said, here are some books the students have been using to immerse themselves in the poetry genre .

Here is the Amazon description: 

The wind and I play

tug-of-war with my new kite.
The wind is winning.

When you’re a guy, nature is one big playground—no matter what the season. There are puddles to splash in the spring, pine trees to climb in the summer, maple seeds to catch in the fall, and icicles to swordfight with in the winter.
       Nature also has a way of making a guy appreciate important stuff—like how many rocks it takes to dam up a stream, or how much snow equals a day off from school.
 So what kind of poetry best captures these special moments, at a length that lets guys get right back to tree-climbing and kite-flying? Why, guyku, of course!

Here's the Amazon Description:

Homework, chemistry class, food fights, and accidental farts-this book covers all the ups and downs of school. Starring an adorable cat and a colorful cast of animal classmates, Jack Prelutsky′s poems come to life in fully illustrated spreads.

Then of course you have the trusty old Shel Silverstein. It's what kind of poetry I read when I was a kid. 

Amazon Description:

Millie McDeevit screamed a scream
So loud it made her eyebrows steam.
She screamed so loud
Her jawbone broke,
Her tongue caught fire,
Her nostrils smoked...

Poor Screamin' Millie is just one of the unforgettable characters in this wondrous new book of poems and drawings by the creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. Here you will also meet Allison Beals and her twenty-five eels; Danny O'Dare, the dancin' bear; the Human Balloon; and Headphone Harold.

So come, wander through the Nose Garden, ride the Little Hoarse, eat in the Strange Restaurant, and let the magic of Shel Silverstein open your eyes and tickle your mind.

That's all for now. :) Please leave me comments below about your favorite books to use with poetry! 

~Susan

Must Read Monday Linky Party

Teaching Maddeness

I have made it my personal goal to read more children's books this year so that I can become more like the great "Book Whisperer", Donalyn Miller. I have made a Good Reads account (if you haven't you so should) and it lets you keep track of books you have read, want to read, and are currently reading. It also has a place to set a reading challenge for the year. My goal is 80 books. I've read 19 so far this year.

(The Social Network book is an interactive choose your own path book. I thought it would be perfect for kids to learn about Social Media since it surrounds their everyday life.)

The most recent book I read is the new "Who is J.K. Rowling?" book. As soon as I saw it at Barnes and Noble I decided I had to have it. I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I have read all 7 of the books multiple times! 

I think this is a must read because it lets kids know how the infamous Harry Potter series came to be. Also for those of your students who are hesitant to start the series might want to read it after learning about how J.K. Rowling came up with her billion dollar idea. 

In general I love the "Who Was….?" Series because the books are written in kid-friendly language, the covers are attractive to the eye, and they get kids interested in the biography genre very quickly. My students are trying to reach their goal of reading 10 nonfiction books by the end of the year and they have just now begun to work towards it. (They spent the first part of the year working towards their 10 fiction books challenge.) I have showed them this series and now many of them are addicted! When I showed them my new book my students were begging to read it!

What is your favorite "Who was…..?" book?

Do you set yourself a personal reading goal?

Drop me a line below! :)

~Susan