What We're Reading - Blog
Saturday, August 04 2012 by Michelle
Hitting bookstores on August 7th is the much-anticipated LIAR AND SPY, written by 2010 Newbery award-winning author, Rebecca Stead. This middle grade story revolves around Georges and his relationship with two neighbor kids he meets on his first day in his new home in New York City, homeschooled Safer and his little sister, Candy. Georges struggles to find his niche amongst the kids at school, but feels at home with Safer and Candy and soon finds himself wrapped up in a spy scheme aimed at determining what their mysterious neighbor, Mr. X, is really up to. But things are often not what they seem, and it turns out that Georges and Safer have more in common than they realize. In fact, they are both storytellers, creating and hiding inside fictions to protect themselves from their difficult personal truths.
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Tuesday, March 20 2012 by Michelle
Ahh... the confusion of loving a book that has a slightly less-than-fabulous take on homeschooling...
The book is called WONDER, a first novel for author R. J. Palacio. It’s a story about a boy named August (“Auggie”) born with a severe form of a genetic facial malformation. Auggie is kept home until fifth grade, in part because his condition requires frequent surgical procedures and long recoveries, and in part to shelter him from the cruelty his parents worry will be inflicted on him because of his appearance. Just before fifth grade, his parents decide Auggie’s condition is stable enough for him to give school a try and send him to a local private school, where he is forced to face his fears of living outside of his comfort zone.
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Friday, March 16 2012 by Michelle
We’ve been offline for a bit over here at What We’re Reading while we’ve been working on NHBA book club blogs. But I recently read a book that I have that dying-to-tell-everyone-about feeling. So--here goes! I’m breaking the ice here once again with an amazing book simply titled, ICEFALL.
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Friday, November 18 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
All novels teach. Sometimes they teach about something that happened in history, or about how it feels to have a missing pet, or what it is like to work in on a farm. Virtual experiences are great ways to learn. But some books show characters doing activities that inspire readers to not only experience by reading but also by doing. Following up reading a chapter of a novel by getting out supplies and actually participating in what you were reading about is a special gift only some books offer.
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Friday, November 04 2011 by Michelle
Congratulations to Wendy Mass on winning the 2011 National Homeschool Book Award with EVERY SOUL A STAR!
Thanks to all of you who participated and made this such a great experience. We’ve got some really top notch books picked for next year and lots of fresh ideas, so we hope you’ll join us again! Our new nominees for 2011-12 are:
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Friday, October 21 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
So far, I have shared free verse novels teaching about poetry, conveying deep emotion, painting a broad picture, and being accessible to both young and teen audiences. In these past weeks my goal has been to increase the reader’s comfort level with free verse, since many people immediately associate poetry with reading something that is hard to understand.
Free verse isn’t always about writing metaphorically or “poetically,” but some novels do a great job including this attribute in the midst of their stories. This week I will share two of my favorite free verse novels that portray the simple characteristic of being lyrical and poetic.
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Friday, October 14 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
Can beginning chapter book readers enjoy free verse?
With a whimsical cover and a quirky title, you might at first think this could be a picture book. The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli is a sweet free verse novel that has cute illustrations and fun characters, but also serious plot lines that keep the readers’ interest.
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Friday, October 07 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
This week’s two very powerful novels demonstrate how free verse can appeal to the teenage audience. Hidden by Helen Frost and Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass both delve into teen problems in a free verse format.
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Friday, September 30 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
Many recent books are being written using more than one narrator, including one of the four nominees for the 2011 NHBA, Every Soul A Star. This writing format works especially well with free verse novels. Ringside, 1925 by Jen Bryant offers views of the famous Scopes trail from varying perspectives including a newspaper reporter, a high school student, a minister, and several townspeople.
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Friday, September 23 2011 by Valerie the Book Club Lady
What would it feel like to have to leave your country and travel to place where you do not speak the language or know the customs? Two amazing free verse novels, Inside Out and Back Again and Home of the Brave, aim to help us better understand the language barriers and cultural struggles of many people we cross paths with daily at the grocery store or mall.
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