The Lunar Chronicles

I was hoping to keep this blog a bit more updated with junior high recommendations, but I've been doing some more personal reading instead. However, this past month, a great series released a collection of prequel stories and an epilogue, so I thought I'd talk a bit about this series.

The Lunar Chronicles

I first heard about this series two years ago from a student. She loved it and did a book report on it. I thought, "No, it's not my type of book." Then last year, another student read this series and couldn't stop raving about it. I still thought it wasn't my type but  I warmed up to it. The final push to read this series happened when I went to a workshop devoted to the Best Books for Grades 6-12 published that year. The presenter said this was a great series and her favorite part about it was that it includes strong female characters. Finally, I said, "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

I'll admit, it took me a little bit to get into it. The premise is that these are science fiction takes on classic fairy tale stories. The first is a cyborg Cinderella (now you can see why I felt it wasn't my "type of book"). I tried to get into it, and finally, I did. I finished the first and ran out to the library to get the next two. And then I preordered the final book because I had to get it the day it came out. Again, the premise is science fiction versions of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. The thing I love about this series is the characters -- they are not perfect. They are flawed characters who show development over the course of the series. The females are not damsels in distress. They are strong women who can save the man too. They each have a unique voice and authentic conversations. They are ethnic -- the series features characters of multiple races and skin colors.

If you choose to read this series: it is a time commitment. Each book gets longer. The last book is 800 pages. (Surprsingly, I did not feel a single page there was unnecessary). It's not a series for everyone, but if you think it might be for you, come check it out of my classroom library! Also, I just learned recently, there will be a follow up to the series in graphic novel form!

(I also feel the need to warn: Fairest is a prequel story to the main villian. It is the most mature and dark book in the series. The series in general is clean, but does feature violence. This one has more mature tones. But guess what, it's not necessary to read Fairest to understand the series, as it just provides some insight into the villian. So if you or your parents want to stay away from those mature elements, no need to read Fairest)

Blogging

My language arts students are hard at work blogging about their thoughts on The Giver. I can't wait to read what everyone has to say about the book!! :)

The Giver

I just finished reading The Giver out loud to my class. The Giver by Lois Lowry is one of my favorite novels. I read it for the first time when I was in 7th grade and it stood out to me as a very interesting book. I read it again in college and it took on a whole new meaning. I read it again when I was one year out of college and the themes and meaning I got changed again. Now, I reread this book about once a year and it always means something new to me.

One of the big things that sticks out to me the most in this book is the theme of choice. Jonas is deprived of choice. The community makes every decision for him. It reminds the reader that we should be appreciative of the fact that WE get to make our own choices. We get to choose what we grow up to be, what we want to do, who we marry, where to go, or even what to wear. I know at times it can seem overwhelming -- trust me, I read this book right around a time in my life where I had to make so many choices about my future. But, The Giver always reminds me that we should realize that we are lucky that we get to make those choices, no matter how hard it might be. There are still places in this world, real places, where people are deprived of their choices.

Remember, when Jonas first learned about choice, he thought what difference does it make what color shirt he wears. But then he realized:

My Personal Book Challenge

With the end of 2015 approaching, I thought I'd reflect on my reading. For a few years, I've heard about something called the "Empty Shelf Challenge". The idea behind it is that you clear off a shelf on your bookcase. Then, after you read a book, place it on the shelf. During the course of the year, you can see the shelf getting more and more filled and by the end of the year, you will be amazed by how much you read. I wanted to motivate myself to read more in 2015, so last winter I thought I'd embrace the challenge. Here was the issue: I read a lot of books from the library and I had just gotten a Kindle. So instead of the "Empty Shelf", I began the "Empty Word Document Challenge". Every time I finished a book, I wrote the title down in a Word Document. I was amazed at how long the list got. I began the list on the first day of winter break last year, and now with winter break right around the corner, I am SUPER excited to announce that over the course of one year I read: 111 books

I can't believe it! It was such a busy year, but I made sure to get lots of reading done. In full disclosure, that number includes numerous junior high novels, which as an adult, I can read quickly. It also includes books that I reread simply because I wanted to enjoy them a second time.

There were definitely spurts of reading -- winter, spring, and summer break had lots of books crammed in, while October and November of this year were definitely my slower points. But keeping track helped me stay motivated and gave me a nice surprise at the end of the year. I'm going to try it again in 2016.

WHO'S JOINING ME??

Book Recommendations

Let me let you in on a fun secret: I run the summer reading blog!! I love doing it because right around summer, I get to add lots of book lists and review for students to check out. Here are the links if you haven't seen the page:

The blog: http://merchantvilleschoolreading.blogspot.com/

Books that will be movies soon: http://merchantvilleschoolreading.blogspot.com/2015/06/read-book-before-movie-2015.html

The hashtag recommendations from junior high students last year: http://merchantvilleschoolreading.blogspot.com/2015/06/what-can-you-recommend-junior-high.html

Junior High Book Lists: http://merchantvilleschoolreading.blogspot.com/2015/05/junior-high-book-suggestion-lists.html

Common Sense Media

Attention Parents!!

Have you ever wondered if a book was appropriate for your child? Even as a teacher sometimes I wonder about the content of a new book that I don't have time to read. Here's a secret: Sometimes I check a website called Common Sense Media

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Common Sense Media is a website devoted to educating parents and teachers about media content. Movies and books are reviewed for and rated on the amount of: Positive messages, Positive role models, Violence, Sex, Language, Consumerism, Drinking, drugs, & smoking. The website will tell you specifically what the book contains within those categories so you can make an educated decision. It gives recommended ages for the books or movies. It even has reviews from parents and kids who admit that the book might have been too mature or even that it was boring. Check out this website and see what it says about any YA books you might be interested in!

Here's a preview of what the Maniac Magee page looks like:

Book Review: Isle of the Lost

Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel

by Melissa de la Cruz

This book was the inspiration for the Descendants movie on the Disney Channel. BE AWARE! This book is NOT the movie -- it is a prequel (takes place before the events of the movie). It follows four famous Disney villain's children: the children of Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella De Vil, and The Evil Queen. Each chapter focuses on a different character as they deal with regular school issues, as well as parent issues. The book has great word choice and action. I enjoyed it and think lots of you will too. It's themes and content was a bit darker than the movie and definitely made the characters more empathetic than the movie, but I find that a perk. Check it out!

Camden County Library Link

Common Sense Media Information