The Sign of the Beaver

Remember a little bit ago I blogged about wanting to re-read The Sign of the Beaver? Well, I did. I finished most of it while waiting in line for the midnight premier of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I loved the book just as much if not more this time. It's a great story of growing up and crossing cultures and gaining perspective. The wrap-up is a little fast for me, but I still loved it. Someone informed me that it's not technically historical fiction because it's not based on a specific historical event. I don't even know if that's true. In any case, it's a fantastic book and one I recommend for anybody.

Favorite Books from Fourth Grade Students

The practicum is coming to an end, and so I decided to get book recommendations from my fourth grade students. This helps me learn of books that are popular among the elementary school aged students and see if some of these books would help motivate other kids to read. I reflected what really got me into reading (my fifth grade teacher reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone during class as a read aloud) and what it means to find a book that you REALLY cannot put down. After discussing this, here are the favorite books my students told me that have helped motivate their reading:

The BFG (votes: 2)

Princess Academy

Diary of  a Wimpy Kid (votes: 5)

The Farthest Away Mountain

The Iceberg Hermit

Fablehaven 1-5 (votes: 12)

Holes (votes: 5

Percy Jackson Series (votes: 5)

Boxcar Children

Harry Potter Series (votes: 3)

Series of Unfortunate Events (votes: 4)

The Lost Hero

The Keys to the Kingdom

Red Pyramid (votes: 2)

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (votes: 2)

Magic Tree house

Peter and the Starcatchers

These are just some of the book recommendations they gave me. The votes are the number of kids who considered that book one of their favorites. Most of the girls loved fantasy books and the boys liked fantasy and nonfiction books because it fascinated them with the facts. If you are having trouble motivating a child to read, try some of these books and see if it sparks an interest. I definitely need to read Fablehaven. I heard that the first one is a little slow to begin with but by the end and the remaining books in the series, it is hard to put the book down.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I was working with one of my students the other day and she was so excited about the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. She told me that I absolutely must read at least one of the books. I respect my students and particularly this one enough to give it a try.

That being said, I didn't love this book. It's a quick read and the pictures make it easy. This is the second or third of the series and it was easy enough to follow without having read the others, but I didn't love the story. The narrator, Greg, is kind of selfish and quite manipulative of his best friend. He teases other kids (but also gets his fair share of teasing too) and doesn't bother to work hard in school.

That being said, this book could be a great book to help motivate reluctant readers. As I already mentioned, it's quite easy and fast to read, even the font itself invites the young reader in. It's a "real chapter book" but has a lot of pictures that help tell the story. The popularity (and the fact that there's a movie) will probably help more kids to get into this book. Not a great read for the teacher, but a good resource for the classroom.

Chains

Sarah recommended this book to me and loaned it to me. It took me awhile to read it, not because it's difficult, but because I have been insanely busy with the practicum. Now, a quick review.

I don't always love historical fiction. It's just not my favorite genre, but it's ok. This book is about a slave girl named Isabel around the time of the Revolutionary War. Something I really like about this book was that Isabel wasn't a southern plantation slave. Those stories are important and valuable and I enjoy them. However, it seems like sometimes those are the only stories we get. Anyway, back to the point, Isabel spends most of her time in New York in this book. The story talks about family loyalty and devotion and having spirit. She is torn by the Loyalists and the Patriots and how their words don't match their actions on either side. She does a little spying and is immensely brave when it matters. My only major frustration with the book is that it doesn't end; meaning there is a sequel. I like sequels sometimes, but almost every book these days seems unable to stand alone and this is no exception. Anyway, if you like historical fiction or just need something to read, this is a good book. Much better than the last I read.

Now that I started my month long practicum, I am finding just how hard it is to find time to read for fun while teaching. However, I manage to get some reading in and can definitely see the benefits it has with my students. As they see the book I pull out getting ready for SSR, they rush over asking me questions about how it is, what it is about, or some who have read it and love it. I feel so connected with my students when I am sharing with them the exciting book I am reading. Currently, I am reading Brandon Mull's The Candy Shop Wars which has started with a strong introduction. Recently, I read The Goose Girl, Fortunata's Folly, and The Graveyard Book. All of these books had a great introduction, forcing me to keep reading. My favorite of the three was probably The Goose Girl because as I continued to read, the story became more intriguing. The Graveyard Book had a dramatic first chapter, making it almost impossible for me to put it down. As I read, I had a harder time of focusing as I went several days between reads, but the ending was very satisfying. Fortunaata's Folly had a great idea with it, but it did not seem to meet my expectations.

I was able to attend the Provo Library's Teen Literature Convention and hear from Scott Westerfeld. I was very pleased to hear him explain how he got the idea for his book Uglies. If you have not read that, I highly recommend that. I was able to read it right after The Hunger Games, and I was very pleased with how the storyline progressed. The ending left me chasing down its sequel, immediately beginning it once I had a copy. If you have any recommedations, please let me know! Keep reading!