Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Visit!

I am so excited that several of my students are going to be able to Skype with Tom Angleberger, the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back tonight! I'm wearing my "Read You Should" Yoda t-shirt today for this special event!

I know students sometimes giggle at my excitement for reading but as a teacher I truly believe it's important for me to be the biggest cheerleader for reading that I can be. I hope that parents catch some of my enthusiasm and read with their children, talk to their children about what they are reading at home and make lots of trips to the library. Reading is not only extremely good for you but also fun. If you don't believe me, believe Yoda. Wise he is! Read you should!

Are you a Star Wars fan? I love Star Wars and we have been watching a lot of it now that my son has been watching the movie. We also check out the Star Wars early readers and I have learned so much more about what the story is all about after reading the books. Did you know they have Star Wars encyclopedias? All the characters you see actually have names. It made me realize how much goes into writing - whether it's writing for a movie or a book - because the author has to imagine a world and know everything about it in order to write about it. I never realized how amazing Star Wars really is! If you like the movies, I definitely recommend checking out some of the books to learn more!

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning

Most Recently Read Book:

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning

By James Patterson

Well...I have to say this was my least favorite in the Maximum Ride series.  As far as I know this is the last book in the series and it really was not a good book.  I did listen to this entire series on CD and this book was narrated by a different narrator so maybe that makes a difference, but I really didn't like the plot.  I loved the first and second books, and the third book for the most part, but this one was bad.  In this book Max and the flock go to Antarctica to try and do some research to help stop global warming only to get captured by another mad scientist kind of creature.  I know they are out to get them, but this was a little crazy, even for this series.  The whole time we have heard about Max's mission to save the world and this just didn't seem like a good ending.  Also, I'm a big fan of the romance that has been becoming more and more evident between Max and Fang.  Patterson addressed that in this book but at the same time just kind of said Max was freaked out and ended the book never talking about it again.  Maybe there will be another or more than one other book in this series.  If this really is the final book it was a very sad way to end the series.  Ugh.

What Are You Reading Good (11/06/08)

So...what are you reading good this week? REMEMBER..tell me the title, the author, what the book is about right now. Try to really be more specific than just saying it is interesting or it is fun. Make me want to read the book! Or...really support why I shouldn't read the book, if you don't like it.

I am currently reading Travel Team by Mike Lupica.  He is a well-known sports writer who has written many young adult novels about kids who play sports.  This book is about a boy who is really short but is really good at basketball.  He's really upset because for the first time ever, he doesn't make it onto the team.  It made me really sad now that I am a mom because it would make me so sad if my son didn't make the team.  That's all I know so far!

I am currently listening to Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson.  This is the fourth and final book in the Maximum Ride series.  Once I start a series, I like to finish it, or at least keep up with, especially if I like it.  If you remember, this series is about the group of bird-kids who are trying to escape from mad scientists.  They pretty much escaped but I think now someone else is going to come after them.  It's kind of slow in the book right now, but still entertaining.  I love Max as a character, she cracks me up!

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

Most Recently Read Book:

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

By James Patterson

I love this series! I think this is such a fun series with great characters. Max, the main character, is really funny and is always making me laugh. This is the third book in the series about a group of kids who are part bird and who are trying to escape from and bring down the mad scientists who created them in order to save the world. I liked this book as much as the others. There was lots of action, a little more drama...and definitely more romance, which I love. Not too much gushy romance, just a little, but it made the book more interesting to me. There were a few twists and turns along the way. I think this is a must read...after you read the first two in the series, that is.

What Are You Reading Good? (10/30/08)

So...what are you reading good this week? REMEMBER..tell me the title, the author, what the book is about right now. Try to really be more specific than just saying it is interesting or it is fun. Make me want to read the book! Or...really support why I shouldn't read the book, if you don't like it.

I am still reading The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan.  I've been reading two other books at the same time so I feel like it's taking me a long time to get through this one, but so far the adventure is still pretty fun and getting more and more interesting!  

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is one of the other books I have been reading lately.  I actually read this book when I was in high school.  I remember not really liking it, but it is truly a classic that many high schools require students to read.  I thought I would try and reread it to remember what it was about and to see if maybe as an adult I would think of it differently.  So far, it is pretty much what I remember.  It's about a boy in high school and what is happening in his life.  I also wanted to read it because in the book I just finished, King Dork, the character refers to The Catcher in the Rye.  I'll have to wait until I finish it to decide what I think about it.   I would love to hear what anyone else has to say about Catcher.  

I am now listening to Maximum Ride: Saving The World And Other Extreme Sports.  This book is the 3rd book in this series by James Patterson.  If you remember, this is the series about the bird-kids who are trying to save the world from mad scientists.  I love the adventure in this book...and this one even has some romance!  Very fun!

Books as Movies 2008

Did you know that so many of the movies you see were really books first??  Sometimes movies are made into books, too.  Here is a list of books that were made into movies for 2008. Personally, I like to read the book first and let myself imagine the story first...and then go see the movie.  Some of these movies are already out...but that doesn't mean you can't still read the book first and then go check out the movies.  Also, did you know that you can check out movies at the library?  How cool is that?  They have VHS or videos, and they also have DVDs.  The best part? Totally FREE!  Just remember to return them on time, sometimes you can't check them out for as long as books.  Let me know how you thought the movie compared to the book!!

Spiderwick Chronicles - February 2008

Nim's Island - April 2008

Prince Caspian - May 2008

Indiana Jones - May 2008

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - June 2008

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - August 2008

This series is definitely a favorite!  It's great for teen girls and is a fun story of friendship.

City of Ember - October 2008

This is the beginning of an awesome science fiction series about a very interesting community.

The Secret Life of Bees - October 2008

This is a great story of a girl whose mom died when she was little and she runs away to find out more about her.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - November 2008

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I am sad that the series has ended...but at least we have the movies to look forward to!

The Road - November 2008

Twilight - December 2008

Twilight is one of my absolute favorite books!  It is a fantastic, vampire, action, love story!  How cool does the cast look?  It is awesome!  I dare you to read it!

Marley and Me - December 2008

The Tale of Desperaux - December 2008

Pretties

Most Recently Read Book:

Pretties

By Scott Westerfield

Pretties is the second book in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield.  I didn't choose to read this series for a long time because I thought it was going to be about people only judging people by their looks instead of who they are on the inside.  When a friend recommended the series I finally decided to read it and I was really wrong about judging the book from it's cover!  I guess I should learn my lesson.  This series is actually a science fiction series because it is set in the future during a time when all kids are called "littlies", all 10-15 year-olds are called "uglies", and everyone who has turned 16 are called "pretties" because of an operation they go through.  Everyone becomes pretty in every way...does that sound like it would be good or not?  Sometimes people think it would be nice for everyone to be the same and not to have competition, but what would you have to give up for a life like that?  Read the books to find out!