Watch this fun yet informative video of Ruby discussing feminism with Amy Poehler! I can’t wait to share this with Groovy Girl, who should definitely be a guest on Smart Girls at the Party. She’d have a few great things to say about women’s rights. She’s been working on a biography project about Amelia Earhart and considers Eleanor Roosevelt one of her heroes.
Happy Deep Thinking…
I stumbled across a new blog post by Maggie Stiefvater where she talks all about her new book, The Scorpia Races. I love her creativity and the post describes how she and her sister recorded music/sounds to go with the book and how this book is the closest book to her real self. Read her post on Goodreads.
Oh, and did I mention she’s hosting a giveaway for 3 ARC’s of The Scorpia Races.
Some of us started discussing our pick for November, My Abandonment by Peter Rock even before we’d filled our plates (the food was delicious) or accepted a glass of wine from the hosts. This is what happens when a book is well-written but controversial. What was the author’s purpose for leaving us dangling so much? Had Caroline been kidnapped or was she this man’s daughter? After his death why does she continue to live on the fringe of society? We tossed the questions around, snapping answers back and forth but with no real answers-we just all had our own opinions. Some never once thought about a kidnapping scenario and one couldn’t stand the father character, even though she believed he was the real father. If she had been kidnapped, why didn’t the social service agency who worked so hard to get them settled on the farm, ever come up with this evidence? Why is Elizabeth Smart thanked in the back of the book? I love when a book brings out so much passion!!
If you’ve read this book I am interested to know your thoughts. My idea is that Peter Rock purposely leaves us dangling and questioning their relationship. I’ve searched other blog posts about the book but didn’t find any further insight. I’ve moved on to Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A Curse Dark as Gold, which is good but thankfully, is not as thought-provoking.
Here is a great video of Peter Rock describing his inspiration for the story:
Kindergarten classes are enjoying Eric Carle-we read 1, 2, 3 Zoo and are constructing their own train. Using rectangles of scrapbooking paper students add the wheels and connector between cars. Next week they will create their animals and we will make a library train. I found this creative idea right here.
First Graders are studying Nancy Carlson and we read First Grade, Here I Come and they loved comparing their own first grade experiences with Henry’s. They all used their shelf markers really well which makes me giddy!
Second Grade listened to The Scarecrow’s Hat by Ken Brown and because I googled activities for
this book I found this great website and had copies of each animal from the book and the object
each trades. Students loved participating in this fun story-telling and how they could help each other.
Third Grade listened to the first half of Some Frog! by Eve Bunting and we watched a YouTube video about a real frog-jumping contest. This was so much fun and we will finish the book next week. They liked the idea of a chapter book you could finish so quickly; like Frog and Toad, which I used last week for a fiction/nonfiction comparison.
Fourth Grade comes tomorrow. I hope I’m in this same good mood tomorrow!
Fifth Grade played Where Are Our Library? game with the index cards acting as spine labels. They enjoyed this and for the 10 minutes it took them to play, the library was a buzz with good fifth grade activity! After they checked out we all quietly sat and read before Mr. Timmons picked them up. Another good feeling.
All those were really excellent parts of my day but the best part of my day was when I sat at my desk, put my feet up on my recycling bin and finished the last four chapters of When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. It gave me that warm tingly feeling reading a feel-good book can do and the fact that I finished it before third grade came tromping through the door was so perfect! The book was excellent and I loved each character a great deal.
Love my job!
Happy Reading…
My husband just arrived back this evening from the Minneapolis Fringe Festival. His youth theatre group performed there and did an excellent job. They were able to catch quite a few shows and Casebolt and Smith was the big favorite. I didn’t get to go to the Fringe-I was at home with children and the dog, preparing to head back to school (tomorrow!) but after watching several of their videos I had to share this fun!
by Markus Zusak
Watch this fantastic video [below] of Markus Zusak discussing his book. He has a sexy accent and he talks about the book with such passion. I loved that this book is set from a German village giving us the opportunity to see their take on Hitler’s Germany (it wasn’t all Yeah Heil Hitler) and I enjoyed death as the narrator. It gave me a sense of peace at death’s interaction in our daily lives.
This book like Chris Cleave’s Little Bee is about having hope in the midst of waiting. I highly recommend this book and plan to read other Zusak novels because of his ability to create such real characters and twist the storyline around. If you, like me, let this one slip by-go find a copy and read it. You won’t be disappointed.
p.s. I received this book in 2007 as an ARC (before I even blogged and knew what an advanced reader’s copy really was); I passed it on to my son instead and then let it languish on my bookshelf!!
beautiful, fun and one of my top ten movies!
check it out!
Thanks to Books List Life for starting my Monday this way
Peaceful Reader 