Football. No one would ever claim that I was a big football fan. But the story of Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football team is one that I would recommend to anyone and now I know of not one, but two marvelous books on the topic! I first heard of Jim Thorpe when … Continue reading The Unstoppable Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team
I just finished the third book in Jason Reynolds's amazing Track Series and now I am waiting with baited breath for the fourth, and final, book to come out in October. If you haven't already read these books, I highly recommend that you go out and try them. Understandably, I read a lot of middle … Continue reading The Track Series and Why Libraries are so Important
Imagine a futuristic world where there is life on the moon and where cyborg and android life are reality. In the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, that is the world that we enter. Once you've got that part understood, add in characters loosely related to well known fairy tale characters. Put it all together and … Continue reading The Lunar Chronicles
One of the reasons that I love the NC Battle of the Books so much is that it encourages kids to read things that are outside of their normal scope or favorite genre. Here in this house we are getting a jump start on next year's list. The first one that I finished is Ashes … Continue reading Ashes to Asheville
Today my 5th grader participated in the North Carolina Elementary Battle of the Books. I love these competitions. They gather a group of kids who love reading, have them read a list of books that are both in and outside of their comfort zones, and then challenge them to a battle quiz bowl style. It … Continue reading Battle of the Books
It's interesting watching your reader grow in maturity. This year has seen great strides for J who continues to grow, not only as a reader, but in general maturity. Friday morning I was reading a post from the Nerdy Book Club about the "just right" book and what that means and it resounded with me. … Continue reading Reading for Fun vs. Required reading
Every year schools across the state of North Carolina compete in the Battle of the Books. There is an elementary level and a middle school level. The elementary Battle of the Books is only open to kids in the 4th and 5th grade. J has been waiting to be able to be a part of … Continue reading A Learning Lesson in A Long Walk to Water
There is a popular thread among book bloggers with the hashtag #IMWAYR. I don't typically manage to post to this thread, but I just picked my older daughter up from 3 weeks of sleep-away camp yesterday and it seemed appropriate to cover what she has been focused on. So I welcome you to J's edition … Continue reading It’s Monday – What are you Reading?
What if you had a machine that could do all of your homework for you? Would you share that information? What would you do with all of the extra time? How would you feel about using the machine? These are all questions that come up in Dan Gutman's The Homework Machine. The Homework Machine tells … Continue reading The Homework Machine – A story of ethics