Dark Frigate Sets Sail - Nerdbery Update

Yo! Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me.  



What do drunken sailors, flirtatious wenches, thick Scottish brogues, slow plots, slashed necks, pirate battles, and hangings have in common with children's literature?

Good question. I think I would be lynched if I tried to have my students read this book. 

If the book were designed for adults, I think I'd give it 2 stars. There were some funny parts that I did enjoy, and I did find some of the chapters entertaining once I got into the "hang" of the archaic style of writing. But the plot moved so slowly that it took until almost the middle of the book for the main character to even reach the pirate ship! Seriously? 

Funniest part? Two drunk sailors are wandering down the road. They have purchased a huge keg of alcohol with the thought that they could sell cups at a profit. Unfortunately, they keep paying each other for their drinks with the same penny (back and forth the penny goes - back and forth - the SAME blasted penny). When the keg is dry, the one attacks the other. Where has all the profit gone? They are so completely drunk they can't even figure out the problem. 

Sound like a kid's book to you? Nah, didn't think so. I'm becoming more and more thankful for modern children's literature.

I Have Altered the Deal - Nerdbery Update

 Working my way through the Newbery Award books from the 20s is proving to be quite a challenge. It’s amazing just how much our ideas about “quality literature” for kids have changed over the years.

I’m taking a page from my favorite Sith Lord’s playbook and “altering the deal” for myself. Unlike his bargain with Lando, though, I think this deal change will work in my favor. I’m going to allow myself to do two things as I complete this challenge (It is supposed to be “no stress” after all).

First, I intend to count all the Newbery books I read starting with January. That means that if I read them in the course of getting ready for reading groups, or because someone recommended one, that I will count it. Yes, even though it won’t be “in chronological order” anymore.

Second, I am no longer committed to reading them in order. I just don’t think I’ll make it through unless I allow myself the joy of some of the more recent winners while reading the older books that are kicking my butt.

That means the following books now count toward my challenge:

Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – 1963. I read this while preparing to write a retro review for the Nerdy Book Club. It will be on the site in February, as part of a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of one of my all-time favorite books.

The Giver by Lois Lowry – 1994   I reread this to consider for a reading group. While I decided not to use it, it is a wonderful book for 5^th and up. A wonderful dystopian read by a favorite author. (You can see my short review on Goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/262077972)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead – 2010 I adored this book, especially because I’m such a fan of Wrinkle and the main character, Miranda, references it throughout the tale. Check out my short review here on Good reads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/252450267

Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson – 1979 Newbery Honor book. This was another read designed to help me with a reading group. A spunky kid from a trouble background learns about what family really means. Check out my short review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/255772481

(I still intend to do another read of the Award winner of that year – The Westing Game – but I’ll wait a while on that. I just reread it in the fall of 2011 since I use it for a fourth grade reading group.)

For those of you following my progress – that means I’m now counting 9 books as completed in my challenge. That’s of a total of at least 91 books (since I’ll be reading multiple books from some years).

Four Down.. 86 To Go

Four down 86 to go

I’m on a roll, powering through these early Newbery books like crazy! This week I’m reporting on another two books completed. At this rate, I could finish all 90 in one year - but I am taking the "stress free" portion of the challenge seriously. 

The 1925 Tales from Silver Lands and the 1926 Shen of the Sea made for an interesting pair. Both books were devoted to short folktales. Silver Lands was filled with stories from South America, while the stories from Shen of the Sea were told with a Chinese flair.

Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger

This was my favorite of the two. While the stories were quite wordy, they were also filled with beautiful language. The tales were written as if they were being told around a fire, which took a little bit of getting used to. Once I was in the groove, though, I found the style endearing. It reminded me of the recent style of storytelling like Lemony Snickett. The stories were filled with poorly chosen wishes, magical objects, giants, heroes, and tricksters. I could easily see using these stories in a classroom setting.

Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman

I’ll be honest; I didn’t really enjoy this one at all. Thankfully, it was short. The tales felt abrupt, dropping off or picking up mid-event and stopping before I felt like they were over. The lessons seemed inconsistent from one story to another – with hard work rewarded in one tale and punished in another. I had trouble keeping the characters straight, and I never really cared about any of them. Again, I’m thankful this was a short one.

As a side note - I've been asked to write a "retro review" for the Nerdy Book Club blog site. Since I chose to write about Wrinkle in Time, the posting will go live in February to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the publishing of the book. How cool is thatjQuery15202884197598323226_1326675791513

Top Ten My Reading Life

Some of these books are on the list because they changed my reading life. Some of them are on the list because they changed the lives of those who mean the most to me. All of them deserve to be enshrined forever in my heart. If I were to sit down to write this post another day, I might have different choices. But I decided to just go with it and tell you about the top ten on my list as of this day in my life.

1) Snowy Day

This is the very first book I distinctly remember. I don’t know what made it catch my eye. I do know that I lovingly read it over and over, and took it out of the library many times. I don’t even think I noticed that the character didn’t look like me. I think I just loved the simplicity of the pictures and the snow.

2) Chronicles of Narnia

Is it cheating to include an entire series in my Top Ten? Pffft, I’m doing it anyway. This series began my journey as a fantasy addict. The messages about love, faith, and family touched me deeply, and I remember hiding under the covers with a flashlight to keep reading. I was about the same age as Susan when I read Prince Caspian, and I think this was the first book to ever make me sob. The fact that she was told she was too old to return to Narnia broke my heart. I vowed to myself that I would never move beyond the magic of imagination. When I first saw the trailer for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I cried again. This series was MY Harry Potter, and captured me forever. When my youngest son got hooked by the movie, and wanted me to read him the first book, I felt the circle closing around me and was content.

3) Wrinkle in Time

Where Narnia was my fantasy starter, I think Wrinkle was my first voyage into science fiction. I’m not going to say too much – since I’ve been tapped to write a “retro review” on this book for the Nerdy Book Club (and can I mention how excited I was to get that email?). This book, though, has been with me for every stage of my life. I’ve read it more than 20 times, and I get something new out of it every single time. This was the very first book I put onto my “Bookprint” on Scholastic (I’m still working on it).

Look for my more detailed thoughts on this book to appear in February to coincide with the 50^th anniversary celebration.

4) Moby Dick

Stick with me on this one. I detested this book. I hated every single minute of reading it. So why is it on my list? My beloved 5^th grade teacher – Mr. Bateman – made us read and report on a book every few weeks. When I said I wanted to read Moby Dick, he allowed me to do it. He gave me extra time to complete it. I finished it, darn it. Never went back, but I finished it. Would I get more out of it now? Probably. I remember my intense pride when I finished that book, though, and I keep that feeling in mind when my students attempt a book that is really “too hard” for them.

5) Wheel of Time

Another series – Yes, I’m a total cheater. The first book in this series came out in 1990, as I was about to graduate from high school. The last book has still not come out yet (it’s due at the end of 2012). While I adore this series, the reason it is on this list has more to do with my little sister. You see, she’s an intelligent young woman, but had decided to “market” herself as a ditz. (I’m not giving anything away – you can ask her yourself!) I handed her this book after I read it. I didn’t know it at the time, but she has since told me that this was the series that really made her into a reader. When new books came out, we both would scramble to re-read the series to get caught up. (The plot and number of characters in this complicated series made that almost a requirement). So, I guess this book was one of the first books that made me realize the impact my recommendations could have on others.

6) Bridge to Terabithia

I didn’t read this book as a child – or at least I don’t vividly remember it. This was one that I remember reading in college as I prepared for my job as a teacher. Leslie. Oh, god, Leslie. That child resonated so strongly with me. I swear, I cry every time I read this book. I’ve used it as a read aloud several times, and I cry every time in front of all those kids. I don’t mind. I think it’s valuable for students to see how deeply a book can move me. What I love best about this book, though, isn’t how much Leslie’s fate affects me. What I love most is how Jess reacts at the very end, as he brings his little sister in to be the new queen. There I go – I’m crying again. If you haven’t read it…. Do it right now.

7) Time for Bed

A simple bedtime book. Simple, but powerful. I read this book almost every night of his first year to my newborn son, snuggled up with him on my lap. One of the lines in the story reads “the very last kiss is almost here”. That was the year my younger brother died. From that night on, I changed the line every time I read it to “the very last kiss of the night is almost here”. I think that’s all I can say about that.

8) Good Night Gorilla

My second son preferred Good Night Gorilla as his bedtime read as a toddler. I can still hear his baby voice saying “Good Night A-gilla”, “Good night A-Jaffe”. (As an aside, I purchased both of these books for my sister when she recently had her first baby).

9) Harry Potter  (Yes, another series. Sue me)

I wasn’t “on board” with this series early on. I read the first book and thought, “Well, that’s cute”. When my students all caught fire with the series, though, I decided to keep reading it. Boy, was I glad I did! They got deeper and richer with each novel. That’s not why it’s on the list, though. My older son has always loved to read, but he was a dabbler. He enjoyed nonfiction, and he would dive in and out of books to get the information he loved. Harry Potter was the first novel that captured his soul. He hasn’t looked back since – and I’m often saying things like “Put down the book while you’re walking or you’ll fall down the stairs” now. I can live with that.

10) Magic Tree House

My younger son “caught fire” with this series. He has since moved on to other fantasy series, but I can still see his little face light up with pride when he finished the last book of the set. Well, the last book that was out as of that date. He still insists that I buy the next one each time they come out. 

First Pair of Nerdberries Collected

(Not sure if this post will end up in the right spot - but I'm transferring over old posts from my original blog. This one originally posted January 7, 2012.)

I’ve completed the first two Newbery award books on my list, so it’s time to sit down and document my thoughts before they are lost for all time.

First, let me say that with the sheer number of books and comics that I want to read, it’s hard to devote a lot of time to sitting down and actually writing about them. I know I need to do it – that reflecting on what I read is a big part of what will make me a better reader and teacher of reading – but all I want to do is grab the next read off my shelf!

When I began this challenge – a scant week ago – I had no real understanding of just how much children’s books have changed over the years. “Kids these days” have no idea how lucky they are to be able to walk through a bookstore and have so many wonderful choices. While I enjoyed both of these early Newbery winners, they are a far cry from what is currently jumping off the shelves in my classroom.

1922’s winner – The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon

This is not a novel. It’s really, honestly, what the title suggests – a history book. Lest you think that means I didn’t enjoy it, I’ll mention that I do enjoy the study of history. I was a history minor in college and delighted in many of my history courses, especially those taught by Professor Callahan. His ability to inject humor and make me think about the “big picture” of history made me always love going to his class. It was Callahan’s voice I heard throughout this book, helping me make it through the enormous volume of little details. Van Loon was able to humanize the events in history, pointing out how even those we “modern” people view as evil or misguided were simply acting as people have acted since time began.

Was it easy to read? No, many parts were very challenging for me. I fell back on my college habits of highlighting and “marking up” the text. Thankfully, I had it on my Kindle app so I could do that to my heart’s content. I found the parts of history that I knew well were entertaining and flowed. Parts that I didn’t know as well were much more difficult to read. I have trouble seeing a modern child sitting through this whole book – but I found gems a ’plenty that I could use in my classroom to help kids understand about writing from a bias (Van Loon frequently pointed out his own viewpoint and how it would impact what he was writing), learn about patterns in history, and giving “voice” to nonfiction text.

Did I cheer a little when I finished it? Yes, I’ll admit it. I was very proud of myself when I could mark this one “done” on Goodreads.

1923 – The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle – by Hugh Lofting

This book was a lot more like what I expected from a children’s book. The story of Doctor Dolittle and his travels with a cobbler’s son named Tommy. Unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed it that much more than Story of Mankind. I think because I expected it to be adventurous – filled with great story telling – it fell short of my expectations.

Parts were truly entertaining. I loved the sections where they were on the mysterious Spidermonkey island. Other parts were a bit dull. Maybe it’s just the style of writing I’ve gotten used to with modern style stories, but I’m having trouble pinpointing exactly why the book felt flat to me.  

I do think kids would like this book. Who wouldn’t enjoy characters that can talk to animals, after all? It just didn’t feel “marvelous”.

With that, I wrap up my first pair. As I type, my copy of 1924’s The Dark Frigate is sailing its way to me from Alibris. The next pair – Tales from Silver Lands and Shen of the Sea - eagerly await my gaze at my local library. I may go slightly out of order and start with one of those so I don’t get behind on my pace.

Fun fact for all you fantasy geeks out there – I should complete my Newbery journey around the same time that Bilbo completes his quest in the theater (part two of The Hobbit will be in theaters in December of 2013). 

Holiday Book a Day

(I'm moving posts over from my old blog host. This one originally posted Jan 2, 2012) 

I was very proud of myself over my holiday break! My goal was to read at least one book a day – so how did I do?

I’ll start with the book that helped me complete my 2011 Good Reads goal. My goal for the year started at 75 when I set it. I bumped it up twice as I started reading some shorter elementary literature for work and ended up with a goal of 125 books. My 125^th was a gem by Jennifer Holm called My Only May Amelia. It was a sweet historical fiction tale with a very distinctive style. I chose it because my new “Nerdy Book Club” friends kept talking about her current May Amelia book but agreed that it’s better to start with the first one. They were right. I love this character and I love Jennifer Holm’s style for this story. Technically, though, this book didn’t count for my “book a day” goal because I finished it on December 21^st. My break started on the 23^rd and I went back to work on January 2^nd. That’s a grand total of ten days. Ten days, ten books? I did it! Here’s my list with a few quick notes.

1 1)  Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger

I absolutely loved this book! I originally bought it because Tom Angleberger offered to do digital doodles via Twitter. Boy, I’m glad I kept it for myself to read before giving it to my sons. I loved reading this voice/style. Origami Yoda was amazing too, but I think this one is my favorite that I’ve ready by Tom. Read my short review on GoodReads :http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/250480112

    2) Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

A real change from the voice and style of my first choice, Waiting for Normal was a great read for 5^th and up. Addie is struggling with life as she handles the strain of living with a mother with mental illness. The story never directly states it, but it clearly impacts every part of her life.http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/250525601

 33) A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

This one was for me. I’ve had this in my “currently reading” pile for months, chipping away at it a little at a time as I read other books. I still had about 250 pages left to go, so I think it’s fair to count it. Definitely an adult read, this tale is the fifth book in a series where each novel hit about 1,000 pages. I was very surprised by the deaths in this one – the author never shrinks back from killing off major characters.

4 4)  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Eric Shanower (graphic novel version)

I’ve recently started reading comic books and graphic novels. This one earned the Eisner award in 2010. It was, from what I heard, a very accurate graphic version of the original Baum tale. Beautifully drawn, it had a distinct artistic style. I was so enamored of the story that I decided to go read the original as well.

5) 5)   Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires

My seven year old has decided he loves Binky, so I stole and read his book. (I gave it back, I swear!) This is a graphic novel style story about a cat who “protects” his family from the aliens that attack his home. Those aliens are insects! Very cute – I highly recommend it for the younger set.

6 6)   Villains United (a volume of comics by Gail Simone)

Another read for me (not a kid friendly comic), this one was a hoot. I’m a new comic reader, but I’ve come to adore Gail Simone as a writer. She is also doing the current run of Batgirl for DC Comics – which I love.

7  7)  City of Orphans by Avi

Avi is well known for his historical fiction – though this won’t make my favorites list. It is an interesting look at New York City in the late 1800s. The main character is a “newsie”, hawking newspapers on the street to earn 8 cents a day for his family. There is a mystery, but it’s mostly about family. It would be a great way to help kids really feel how children in the past lived, but I felt like it was a bit slow in places.

8    8)  Guide to Pirate Parenting by Tim Bete

Another read for me – this one was just silly and funny. A pirate gives step by step instructions on how to raise your children to grow up as pirates.

9     9)  Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Baum’s original tale)

Wow, how did I get to be 39 without having read the original version of this iconic tale? I enjoyed it, and it was a fairly simple read. It was a very worthwhile, and would be good for helping kids pick out the lessons in a story. Honestly, though, it would just be fun to hand over to a child and let them enjoy. I guess not everything needs to be a lesson, right?

1   10) Poppy by Avi

It was an adorable book about a mouse learning to think for herself. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but maybe it leads into the next book.

1  11)  The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Calpurnia is the kind of girl I wished I could be. Beautiful. I adored this tale of a girl at the turn of the century. She discovered her grandfather and a love of the natural world. Hopeful, honest, sweet. This was my favorite of my holiday book a day reads, and it will be my Dragon’s Book of the Week recommendation for my students this week.

    12) Love and Capes Vol. 1: Do you want to know a secret? by Thomas F. Zahler

This is another comic series. It is a funny, romantic comedy look at the love life of a super hero. I greatly enjoy this series, and plan to get more of his work. It also earns the honor of being the first book I completed in the New Year. One down, 149 to go.