Batty About Dragon Castle by Bruchac Part One

Dragon Castle - Part One (through the end of chapter seven)  

Kathy (a.k.a. The Brain Lair) and I abandoned ship on World Without Heroes, and picked up Dragon Castle by Bruchac instead. Here, we discuss the first section of the book. My thoughts are in purple, with Kathy's responses in blue. Her blog hosts her thoughts, with my responses. Please feel free to chime in with your thoughts! There will be spoilers, so read with care. 

Maria: I have only read one novel by Bruchac before – Code Talker. I absolutely love the book and I’ve used it several times in a reading group. I’ve also read one of his folk lore compilations. Both books impressed me with the simple yet powerful language. What could he do with a fantasy tale? I heard about this one and promptly added it to my list. When Kathy suggested we give this one a shot, I was excited. I was positive it would outshine World Without Heroes.

Kathy: This is my first Bruchac. His Code Talkers is sometimes used in 8th grade to work with students who don’t go on the annual Washington, DC trip.  We have a few copies of The Warriors and Skeleton Man. Somehow I missed this one.  Hope to remedy that when I get more money!


Maria: Introduction: Yes! I love the way the story begins – with the tapestry. I love the imagery of the moving shapes and how it never seems the same twice. I love the gold and black threads that outline the characters.

Kathy: I can almost - but not quite - picture it. The same way as Rashko. Bruchac gives us just enough information that our imaginations start to create pictures. Great imagery.


Maria: Structure: I love the way the two stories interweave throughout the first third of the book. I love this style of storytelling, though I always find it challenging to keep both sets of names straight at first. In fact, this is a book that I actually wish I had not gotten for my Kindle app. I kept wanted to page back and forth to double check on things, and that is much harder to do electronically. I think Bruchac has done a good job so far keeping the past story segments brief – and he always leaves one timeline with me eager to return to it to learn more. That’s good craft, in my mind.

Kathy: I like that the two story lines have different voices. The immediacy of what’s happening to Rashko as Baron Temny tries to take over balances out the patience needed by Pavol to wait for...something. I also like that he gave a chapter to each boy before actually starting with Chapter 1!


Maria: Magical Touches: The magic in the realm is done with a light touch. That matches well with this story, I think. I love stories with lots of complex magic, but this one is just right too. I like the way Paulek (Ugh, thanks... Rashko) talks to the wolves in his mind, and his brother seems to lack the ability. I like how they calmly mention Paulek’s (you mean Rashko) special abilities (like creating the grove of trees). His brother seems so nonchalant about it. I love the hints of the fairy folk and the bits about dragons.

Kathy: I want to touch on Paulek’s seeming nonchalance. It seems like the family knows more about Rashko’s abilities than he does.  Bruchac seemed to hint at the family member’s abilities - tall tales by Rashko’s way of thinking - and again after the tree incident he points out that all the family looked at Rashko with a slight knowing in their gazes. Can’t wait to see what that means.
Maria: Ugh, yes... I kept checking the names but I still got it wrong! Is this, perhaps, a problem I have with first person narratives? I need to keep that in mind as I write my own fiction.


Maria: Writing style: This is refreshing compared to the last book. There is beautiful language, and lots of imagery, but it never seems to be the POINT of the writing. The writing is lovely, but it doesn’t interfere with the story. I loved phrases like “small confused group of their servants huddled like chickens that have seen the fell shadow of a hawk” (pg. 4) and how Paulek talks about the fact that his brother and parents got in line behind hummingbirds for the brains (pg. 9).  It’s not overdone, just lovely and entertaining.

Kathy: YES! I mentioned this too! It’s amazing what a skilled writer can do! They make you simultaneously forget the words and revel in the cleverness. You get the pictures they create and you can admire how they did it. Skill and storytelling are a great combination.


Maria: Female characters: Okay, so this book doesn’t really have any. There is just the one evil princess, and I’m not convinced she’s a human woman. I can live with that, though. I don’t mind books heavy on male characters. That’s better than poorly done girls and women.

Kathy: But we shouldn’t give up hope yet! Although yes, Poteshenie does not seem human, maybe someone comes later to save Paulek from ruin. I also agree that I’d rather have male characters than stereotypical female characters!

Maria: I’m so curious about several things:
    What is the deal with the discussion of the intermarriage of fairy and human? It has been mentioned several times, and I want to know who we’ve met so far who is a half breed. We have to have one in the story already, right? I have my guess already!!

I love how they mention that Pavol “hides” by being seen as simple. He’s more than he appears. So I know there must be more to the king, queen, and brother than meets the eye. EXACTLY!!!!!!!! I love that Rashko can’t see it because he’s busy protecting them from everyone!

    I am dying to read the next section. Pavol’s bag and his growing skills intrigue me. The bits about the fairy folk intrigue me. I want to know about the dragon, darn it! Guess what, you don’t actually have to stop reading! Just add a page break and continue putting your thoughts down!!! We can keep going and just post once a week!

I’m already much happier with this book, and I’m glad we jumped ship and headed over to this one. I am eager for the next section instead of dragging myself through it. Amen, sister!

Wordless Wednesday May 30

Birthday Note to my Oldest

Today's Slice is a second birthday note. My boys have birthdays only 10 days apart. This one is to my older son, who will be 10 on Friday. Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting the weekly Slice of Life!

Dear Connor,

Wow, I can’t begin to believe that you are now ten. Where on earth did an entire decade go? I tried to hold onto every moment, every tiny instant as you grew, but somehow you are almost as tall as me already. I love you, with all my heart. I’ve loved you since the first moment I knew you were growing inside of me.  

You are a sensitive soul, and I love that about you. Yes, I know it can be frustrating at times. Trust me, I know it well. Sometimes I apologize to you for that, because you got it from me. It can be hard to have your feelings so close to the surface. Things that other people barely notice can seem so intense. I swear; it does get easier to manage as you get older. That sensitivity can also be a blessing. You’ll feel a burst of joy at a sunrise or a thrill of excitement as you notice the glistening dew on a spider’s web. Even the times of sadness can inspire you to reach beyond yourself and create something of beauty – or maybe touch someone else’s life in a way that changes them forever.

I love how much you love to read – and how often you hand me a book and declare, “You have GOT to read this one!” Your love of reading will see you through your whole life.  There’s no day in your life that can’t become a little bit better with a good book in your hand.

I know you expect a lot from yourself, and it can be hard when you don’t feel like you hit the mark. Believe me, though, I am always proud of you. The way you buckled down and got your science fair project done, even though your allergies had you feeling crummy made me so proud.  I hope you can feel that same pride in yourself as you share what you learned with your classmates and the parents and students who come to your stand. The passion you’ve brought to becoming a wonderful violin player this year is another feather in your cap. Watching you participate in honors orchestra, perform a solo at the book store, and joyfully celebrate having new songs to learn fill me with a mother’s pride.

Remember to always be the best Connor you can be. Don’t look around you at what others are doing. Compare yourself to where you were a year ago, or even yesterday. Continue to be kind to those around you, no matter how they behave. When you feel sad, or overwhelmed with emotions, remember that your sensitivity is a gift to be treasured. Use it to be a gift to those around you.

I love you, always and forever. May the future decades of your life be as wonderful as this first one has been.

Love always,

Mom

It’s Monday – what are you reading? May 28th

It's Monday, and that means a recap of my week of reading. Thanks to Teach Mentor Texts for hosting this each week. Check them out for more book ideas!

I wanted to hit 30 Newbery books by the end of May, and I made it! About 1/3 done now. Also, I posted on Saturday about my summer reading plans, which will include Newbery and a lot of science fiction. Check out that post, if you haven’t already, and let me know if you’re interested in joining me for my SciFiSummer!

Newbery

Sarah, Plain and Tall – I don’t think I’ve ready this one since I had children, and it felt so much more powerful now. I’ve always liked it, but it made me tear up right from the beginnings.

Roller Skates – Wow, I think this is two in a row from the 30s I’ve liked. I need to go back and look for the gender themes over the course of the Newbery books. I love how free she is to wander NYC on her own. I was sad one of the plot points never got fully addressed, but overall I enjoyed it.

Thimble Summer – Another sweet one. I now have the urge to go back through the books I’ve read so far and look for patterns in how girls are portrayed. Maybe once I finish the 50s. I have a feeling there will be pendulum swings similar to the swings in how women were/are portrayed in comics.

Bedtime Read aloud

A Swiftly Tilting Planet – L’Engle. I’d forgotten just how challenging all the jumps around in time are in this book. I was thrilled to have my 8 year old love it. He did stop me frequently to discuss what was going on, which was another thing I loved. We’ve now moved on to Many Waters (about the twins)

Comics:

I got to read Batman and Robin (issues 1-9), Batman (from the New 52 up through issue 9) and Nightwing 8. One of my friends was over, and he brought his ipad. We exchanged devices to read, so we could both get caught up on the Night of Owls cross over event. I also noticed, with excitement, that Goodreads now has the comics listed (since the trades of the first 6-7 months have been published, which gives an ISBN number). Yay for my reading now "counting"! 

Summer Readin’ and SciFi Summer

“Summer reading, having a blast….

Summer reading, happens so fast.. “

Summer time, and the readin’ is easy…

Whichever tune you choose, it’s just about time for summer reading! I have two more weeks of end of year insanity, and then it's book time! 

What does that mean? It’s time to sit down and figure out at least some of my plans for my summer reading fiesta. Based on the recommendations of fellow Nerdy Book Clubbers, I bought a huge bookstack a few months ago that is still calling my name.

I’m also declaring it “The Summer of Sci Fi”, and invite you to join in the fun. I have always been an avid reader of science fiction, but my repertoire tends toward the older classics. A few weeks ago, a friend on Twitter pinged me to see if I could recommend any recent science fiction (but not dystopian or post-apocalyptic) books for Young Adult or Middle Grades. I was ashamed to admit that I couldn’t! So I’m declaring it part of my mission to scour the shelves for hard core science fiction this summer, and post about as many as I can. If you’d like to join me, ping me on Twitter or leave me a message here to let me know you’d like to participate. I have a Google doc started, and I’d be happy to send you the link.

If you are on Twitter, play along with Nerdy Book Club and use the hashtags #nerdybookclub and #bookaday to share your reading adventures. If you want to join me, use the hashtag #SciFiSummer

What are your plans for summer reading? 

Birthday note

This post is part of the Slice of Life - hosted weekly by Two Writing Teachers. Stop by their site to check out other writers!

Yes, I know many of you are hoping for the next portion of my story. It's been a busy week, though, and I couldn't do it justice. I swear, I'll have the next chunk up next week! 


(Did you miss the story last week? Check it out here... ) 


Anyway, I started a tradition last year of writing a note to my sons on their birthdays, so here is my note to my eight year old (his birthday was Monday). There isn't much "craft" to it, but it's what I wrote this week...

Dear Jared,

I love you. I’ve loved you since the first moment I knew you were going to join our family. I’m just amazed that you are already eight years old!

Your sweet grin with those amazing dimples always makes me smile. I love how you can find a way to laugh and joke about almost everything. 

My little boy, you are growing into an amazing young man. I’m so proud of all you have learned this year, and of all the good things your teacher has to say about you. She says you are becoming a leader, a helper in the classroom, and a hard worker.

You’re learning how to set goals for yourself, and how to keep going until you reach them. Finishing the Potter series was a major accomplishment for you, and I was so proud to see you be so proud of yourself.

I loved watching you share your love of Puffins with me and with the author of Neversink. It was so fun to see you open up that box and get your copy of the book – and then to watch your excitement when you got your adoption papers for your own puffin. I hope you always keep your love for animals, and for taking care of our planet, as you move on into your teen years.

I’ve also loved sharing my love of the Madeleine L’Engle books with you. When there is something that was special to me that you also love, it makes me so happy. I know you won’t always love the things I loved, but when you do it makes me smile more than you’ll ever know. I hope that when you find things you love, that you’ll share them with me, too.

You’re still insistent that you’ll become an inventor when you’re older, and I think you’ll make an amazing inventor. You are creative and intelligent, and I know you’ll find a way to make a difference in the world with your ideas and creations. No matter what you decide to do, I know you’ll make something new that wouldn’t exist without you.

Remember to accept help when it is offered. The strongest man knows when to ask for help, and accepts it gratefully. Remember that to learn means to make mistakes. Making mistakes is not just okay – it is part of learning.

Most of all, always remember that you are loved. Completely, totally, and without question. No matter where I am, no matter what comes, mommy loves you.

  

It's Monday May 21st

Yes, I missed posting last week. So that means this week will have double the fun! I’ll cut down on the extra chatter so that it doesn’t end up so long that no one reads the post. (Okay, there is still a lot of chatter. Sorry about that!)

Newbery  (I’m up to 27 out of 91! Check out my “Newbery Completion” page to see what I’ve finished)

Holes (audio). I didn’t enjoy it as much as I remembered loving it the first time around. I was just appalled by the way the adults treated the kids. It was still a great one, though.

Invincible Louisa – Colby Sharp adored this one, but I just thought it was good. I did like to hear about Louisa, since I grew up loving Little Women. I was even Amy in a play production in high school!

Kira-Kira (audio) – Enjoyed, but not overly passionate about. I’m a little over halfway done as I type this (though I’ll likely finish in time to post on Monday) and I’m watching the impending doom loom over little Katie. I don’t mind crying during a book sometimes, and sometimes it annoys me. I have yet to decide which this one will be.  --- Okay, finished. It was sweet, but I wouldn’t put it on any favorites list. I’m still trying to decide why.

Dobry (1935) This one is sweet and light, and I’m enjoying it. Yet I don’t really feel “award winner” as I read it. Okay, I’m done. Without spoilers, I guess I can say I expected more. I kept waiting for something “big” to happen, or someone to die or something!

Caddie Woodlawn (1936) I really enjoyed this one! Yes, I know there were problems with the way the Native Americans were portrayed – especially the “poor little half-bloods”. Those parts did indeed make me cringe. The rest of it, though, I found endearing. I liked Caddie, and her family, and enjoyed her discoveries about growing up and womanhood. For a book written in the 30s, I thought it had a fairly progressive view of the role of women. Yes, they were meant to be the homemakers, but her father’s discussion with her about the importance of women was touching. Clearly, too, he didn’t ever expect her to be a “typical” pioneer wife.

Poetry:

Forgive me, I Meant to do it. Gail Carson Levine.  (I won this copy from the publisher through a Twitter contest!) This was VERY funny! A great mentor text, modeling this poem style. It would be a fun way to get kids to write poems, and could even be used to tie into social studies or other novels or stories that they read. Definitely grab this one.

Comics / Graphic Novels

For High School / Adults

Sandman volume 1. I adore Gaiman, and this is a great start to a series. I’m pretty sure I read at least some of it in college, but I just had to go back and pick it up from the start.

Smallville Season 11 – I didn’t watch the television show (though it on my list of shows I’d like to grab and marathon at some point) but I decided to check out the comic series. I’m enjoying it so far J

Batgirl #9 – This would probably be a series that is YA, not just high school and up. I adore the writer (Gail Simone) and the art is impeccable. Batgirl is part of the crossover event “Court of Owls”, so I need to figure out how many of the other comics that are part of the even that I plan to grab.

Buffy #9 – I review Buffy for the Fandom Post site, and this was one of the best issues of this season. Great writing, great character interactions, and awesome pacing.

For Elementary:

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco (#6) – I won this one from Mr. Schu and it was signed! My younger son loves these. I like them, but Dee is so irritating!

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes (#7) – started out annoyed on this one (joining the mathletes should NOT be a punishment!) but ended up enjoying it. Of course, the crew learns that math can be fun, right?

Middle Grade Novels:

A World Without Heroes – Kathy and I decided to call it quits on this one. We wrote up our first two discussions, and they are on our blogs. Neither of us were enjoying it much (Kathy actively hated it!), so we are moving on. We did create a post to discuss when we abandon books, do it wasn’t all a loss!

Dragon Castle – Bruchac. Kathy and I are just beginning this one. Check out our thoughts on the first chunk of the book at the end of this week.

Literary Critique? Not sure on the category for this one.

Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion. I got a review copy of this book as part of my work with the Fandom Post. It’s a collection of essays about all kinds of topics related to his work on Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly, X-Men comics, and more. I’ve only read a few of the essays so far. 

Abandoning Books - To Read or To Give Up

To read, or to give up on reading?

Since Kathy and I decided to abandon A World Without Heroes, we thought it would be a good time to chat with each other about what leads us to give up on a book. 


Next week we’ll resume our book chats, as we’ll be starting up Bruchac’s Dragon Castle.




As usual, my thoughts are in purple and Kathy's are in blue.




Abandoning a book isn’t something I do lightly. I often feel like when I commit to a book I need to follow through, no matter what. I’m not sure what gave me this conviction, but it’s been true for as long as I can remember. As I get older, though, I’m less and less willing to devote my limited time to reading a book I just don’t like. I find myself skimming quickly, pushing myself through it, or just abandoning it altogether. Of course, I’m doing the Newbery challenge (Check out tweets using the #nerdbery tag) and there are plenty of books I’ve read so far this year that I’d normally toss onto the garbage heap.

The first book I remember abandoning was a Paddington book when I was in elementary school. I had read – and loved – several of the books. Yet there was just something about this book that I didn’t like. Looking back, I don’t recall the details. I can’t even remember exactly which book in the series it was that I abandoned. Yet I remember vividly the trauma. I felt like a quitter – a cheater.

My most recent abandoned book reminds me a LOT of World Without Heroes. It was the first book in the Pendragon series. Just like this one, the Pendragon book had a boy sent into an alternate world, and it moved so slowly. I just didn’t care about the character – not even a teeny tiny bit. I felt guilty tossing this book to the side, since it was recommended to me by several of my students who devoured the entire series. I just couldn’t make myself finish it.

I’m not easily offended, so I don’t abandon based on language or violence. I’d just keep that in mind if I were considering giving the book to any students. Books that are misogynistic or racist would probably get tossed, though, unless I planned to use excerpts to help students identify stereotypes in literature. (Unless they are Newbery winners, of course. Some of those early books are frighteningly bad.)  No – really – it’s bland writing and ho hum characters that will convince me to give a book the old “heave ho”. 


I asked for some responses from Twitter friends, and I got a few people to share their thoughts on when they give up on a book.

@utaliniz (Cynthia  Alaniz) I abandon a book when I have no interest in how it ends! 

@dogtrax (KevinHodgson) Lack of rich character, obscure plot paths, & either underwriting or overwriting .. all lead me to say "farewell" to a book

And now for Kathy's perspective, as a librarian! 

 I understand that there are different books for different books for different people. So, I’ve always read books I didn’t like if I thought there was the slightest chance I could find a student who might like it. It wasn’t until 2010 that I felt comfortable not just abandoning books, but making it public. It was then I set up my first abandoned goodreads shelf.  Since then, I’ve added a shelf each year. I seem to abandon about 10% of the books I read in a year. They are either abandoned because I had to work on something else or I just wasn’t “feeling” it!  

Being a school librarian means I don’t always read for my own edification!  Sometimes, I’m reading to see if a book would be good for discussion in the classroom or in book club.  I may want to recommend that book to a certain teacher or student.  Sometimes, I’m reading because we need to to use the book in the classroom.  The teacher and I will divide up the books and make sure at least one of has read it.  This means any self-selected reading is out the door.  I’m also on the One Book, One School and Young Hoosier Book Award - Middle Grades committees. I don’t take these commitments, and they are HUGE time commitments, lightly.  I have a responsibility to set aside the time and read and review these books in a timely manner.  I may have to set aside my plans for  a while and make sure I’m doing my required reading!

Although it rarely happens, sometimes I abandon a book is because it is becoming a chore to read.  That’s what was happening with A World Without Heroes.  It was taking me twice as long to read the book.  And all along, a commentary of dislike was running through my head.  This made it worse.  Looking back at the 12 books I’ve abandoned so far this year, this is the only one I’ve actively abhorred.  

Sometimes I get into a reading slump and NOTHING seems good.  I pick up and put down many, many books.  I don’t consider this abandoning though, since I haven’t really invested that much time in it.  I like to call that sampling.  

One of the reasons I created my abandoned shelf was so I could go back and revisit those books when the situation permitted.  It’s kind of like a mini-TBR shelf.  It shows me what types of books I’m abandoning and when.  My next step will be to list why.

I always tell students they don’t have to finish a book but I’ve always tried to finish them myself.  I’m always hoping for that light at the end of the tunnel and most times, I find it.  A book can totally redeem itself.  Unfortunately, sometimes I just can’t wait for that!


There you have it, our thoughts on when "enough is enough". As the end of the school year looms, let us know what you think. When do YOU give up on a book?

Moments - pt 2

This week's slice is a continuation of the story I started last week. It's starting to get a bit long, so I'm not sure how I'll deal with that next week. For now, the part that was up last week is in blue, and the new material follows in black. I still haven't even gotten to the three objects I was given as the spark for this story... (check out other Slice of Life writers hosted by Two Writing Teachers) 

Every life is filled with moments.

Mostly, these moments are ordinary. Fill the dishwasher. Discover that you drank the last of the milk before noticing that the recipe that needs to go in the oven right now requires a third of a cup. Scrambling to find someone to bring to the holiday party for work so that no one gives you those pitying, “she’s always alone”, looks yet again. Empty the dishwasher. Grab a bowl of dry cereal to eat in front of the television, rather than venture out to the Indian take out place.

Some moments start out as just part of the daily grind, but change your life forever.  I remember the exact moment with crystal clarity. The moment it all began – again.

*******

Slamming the door behind me as I entered the dark hall of my townhouse, I juggled an armload of mail and a backpack filled with files from the lab I needed to review tonight.

“Hi, honey, I’m home!” I shouted into the dimly lit kitchen, and chuckled. My only response came in the form of the glint from a pair of eyes on top of a bookshelf and a miffed little, “mrrrow”. Slipping my backpack off my shoulder and tossing my keys into the bowl by the door, I used my elbow to flip on the lights. 

“Bill… bill… junk mail, bill.” I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. I needed that promotion at work now, more than ever. So much for ignoring those files and plopping down in front of the television tonight.

One envelope slipped out of the pile and fluttered to the ground. Oddly enough, my address was handwritten in a lovely, flowing script. Intrigued, I snatched it up and carefully ripped it open. Inside the envelope were a childish drawing, a faded photograph, and a brief note.

             Dear Meghan,

It has been years since we spoke – years since you were like a second daughter to me.

I am finally moving on with my life and leaving the house where you and Cassie so

often played. I came across these pictures, and the good memories came flooding back.

Please, if you can, come visit me one last time. I have some things I know Cass would want

you to have.

“Aunt” Deirdre

The drawing was a simple one, and I remembered it well. Cassie had loved to doodle, and insisted on hanging it in her room well into high school. Even the possibility of having a boyfriend see it on the wall hadn’t convinced her to take it down. Seeing it brought it all back, and I was six again.

*******

 “Meghan!” Cassie whispered my name and then giggled softly. “Don’t move. Don’t … even… breathe.”

I sat motionless under the weeping willow in her backyard. I felt the tickling touch of the leaves on the back of my neck, but I knew better than to ignore her demands. We might be best friends, but her temper was quick to flare and I’d had my feelings hurt too many times to defy her when she was in this mood.

Lying on her belly just a few feet away, with her sketch pad shielded from my view, Cassie chewed on one of her new pencils. Yellow, bright like the sunshine, the color she insisted on using for my hair. Even at six, though, I knew my hair was mousey brown. Mousey brown, and always tangled.

“There, you can move now.” I started to unfold from the ground and leaned toward her to get a peek at the drawing.  “Not yet, Megs! I still need to draw me, you know.” Thoughtfully, she selected just the right shade of red from her pencil set, and scribbled swiftly on the page.

Yep, I knew what that meant. That shade of deep red delighted her, because it was the exact right color to draw her hair in the sunlight. She said it just like that, too, every time. I stretched out under the willow tree, staring up at the small bits of sky I could see through the leaves, and pushed my fingertips into the soft dirt.

“Now, Megs! Come and see!” Cassie was breathless, panting slightly with exhilaration

Swiftly I darted to her side, eager to see what had her so excited. My jaw dropped open, just like in the cartoons, and I whispered.

“What…. Cass…. What is that?”

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day

Jared and I had a “mommy and me” homework assignment a few weeks ago, coming up with two colors that we liked and describing things about them. We were supposed to pick things that reminded Jared of our times together. This is the resulting poem, my mother’s day gift this year.

Mom, I love you the blackest

I love you the color of terrible Darth Vader destroying a machine

I love you the color of the dark print in a great book

I love you the color of the enormous Death Star where Darth Vader lives.

Mom, I love you the greenest

I love you the color of beautiful trees that we try to save

I love you the color of numbered highway signs on the times we travel

I love you the color of amazing Yoda using the force to move rocks.

Connor looked offended when I asked him if he’d made me a card. “I gave you four hours of peace and quiet this morning, mom! Isn’t that what you wanted?” Heh. Gotta love him, right? 

Batty About Books - A World Without Heroes Pt 2

Beyonders Part Two (pages 91-190) 

Before I get started on the dialogue Kathy and I shared about this book, I’d like to state that neither of us are really enjoying this book enough to devote another three weeks to discussing it. My post below includes some of my thoughts that are complaints about the book, and a few things I found that I could say I liked. With that said, my own fourth grade son loved this book, so I know there is definitely an audience for it. Read along with our commentary if you’re curious about what we didn't like, but know that WE know that not every book appeals to every reader. We are going to give this book a burial at sea and move on to another next week.

As always, my original thoughts are here (in purple) with Kathy’s responses in blue. Her thoughts, with my responses, will be hosted on her blog – The Brain Lair.

Maria: Well, I think the second part of the book was an improvement (though I still have some complaints!)

Kathy: Disagree. Warning: my thoughts are not happy or positive. They are in blue. Skip them if you want to like this book. You Have Been Warned!
First – some complaints.

Maria: I like Rachel, but I feel like she’s not being set up as a real co-hero in the story so far. Galloran “laments” sending Rachel into danger, but seems to have no problem possibly getting Jason killed.  Jason gets a knife and she gets an exploding sphere? Really? Give the girl a knife already, or at least something that would help her more than once.  I was at least happy that she voiced the same complaint, but it still seems silly. Also, she’s a spunky character, but not really shockingly so. Yet Jason keeps commenting on how amazed or surprised he is by what she does. I feel like Jason may be stuck in the 60s somewhere. Get with the program, boys!

Kathy: I feel like it’s all a big setup on Mull’s part. He’s leading the reader with these “they treat girls differently here” comments and asides so that she can turn around and “surprise” us because we “underestimated the power of women”. Cliched.

Maria: Mull continues with the overdone vocabulary and explanations. Thankfully, most of it appears to spew forth from the Blind King, and fits with his character fairly well. Yet it does show up in other sections as well, and it is a bit distracting to me. I was also a little annoyed with the explanation of heroism. Would the target audience for this book (upper middle grades) really not have a handle on this? Does it need to be spelled out like this, or can’t the reader discover the idea on their own?

Kathy:  I voiced this same objection! I felt as if Mull was following a manual. And not a very good one. I keep getting bogged down in his explanations and his lame attempts to enlighten or humor.

Maria: I was excited to learn more about the musicians from earlier in the book, and how they were trying to summon a hero. Yet they went over the edge when Jason was already there. So was there another hero summoned? Is Rachel really the hero they need?

Kathy: See above explanation on the power of women.  

Maria: Honestly, I'm not even convinced that it will be Rachel.

Maria: There is beginning to be a more entertaining relationship between Jason and Rachel by the end of this part. I love the “punishment” they decide to enforce on one another – the dirty socks. That strikes me as something real kids would do.

Kathy: Funny? Not the word I would use. And though I can see kids trying to force their dirty socks into other kids mouths for fun (I have 8 younger siblings, 5 of them boys), I don’t see them agreeing to that as punishment. Though, this could just be my dislike of this book coloring anything that has happened. 

Maria: Perhaps. I didn't have any sibling bullying as a child (I'm the oldest, but not by a ton, but we didn't really have physical rivalry). I think it would be awful if one child did this to another, but the fact that they chose it as an agreed upon punishment made me chuckle.

Maria: I also like the displacer, Ferrin. That is a pretty intriguing super power, and I hope he sticks around to add a sense of levity to the story.

Kathy: Now Ferrin is someone I can get behind.  Finally something cool and fanciful happening.  He may bring the plot I need to stick around for the rest of the story.

Maria: I’m still not “feeling” this book, though. I can see the kid appeal, and I know that my students will enjoy it. It’s just not doing much for me.

Kathy: I can’t see any kid liking this. I can’t see me booktalking this without my complete lack of interest coming through. I have booktalked books I didn’t personally like before but this goes “beyond” because I can’t think of even one student who I would foist this upon.

So there you have it – some books need to be abandoned. Come back next week to find out what we select as our next Cybil nominee to share.

Every Child Learns, Every Day

Last Thursday I attended the first day of the PA Gifted conference (PAGE).

(My tweets on Thursday started with the hashtag #PAGE2012 and then shifted to #pagifted to match with another tweeter. I'll post specifics about some things I learned later. For today, just an overview on why this is so important.)  

Many of you who read my words here aren't in the gifted field. Let me just take a moment and give you the main reason I am passionate about the field of gifted education. Every child... EVERY child deserves to learn every day. That isn't elitist. That isn't unfair. Gifted services aren't a special privilege. They aren't something a child should have to "earn" through good behavior or completion of an endless list of work that doesn't meet their needs. They are a simple right... a right that every child has to LEARN something every day.

The parents of gifted children aren't (for the most part) trying to gain any special edge for their child. The goal of education is to teach kids how to learn. If a child comes to school knowing what you'll teach this year, than they don't get the chance to struggle - to fail - to persevere and learn.

Maybe their is a child in your classroom (if you are a teacher) who is just skating by. Maybe you spot a child who sticks their nose in a book and never really pays attention, but still seems to know how to do what the class is doing (even if they do it their own way). Or maybe a child flat out refuses to do your work, but you get so frustrated because you can see their potential.

No one expects you to do it alone. If you don't know what to do reach out to a colleague, look for a resource, or just ask some questions. Dig deep to figure out where they are - even if that means acknowledging that they really do already know much of what you planned to teach this year. Even a little change can make a big difference for that child, the one who will now know that you want them to LEARN.

Curious? Check out the National Association for Gifted Children's page at www.nagc.org or star with their "Common Myths in Gifted Education" page.

Moments - Part One

 I wrote and posted every day in March, and now I'm joining in the weekly Slice of Life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

This Slice is a beginning - the start of a fiction story. I haven't dabbled much in fiction in the past ten years or so. I have a wonderful Twitter friend - Michelle-  who inspires me with her own writing, though. She sets herself frequent "writing challenges" and then posts her stories on her blog. This week her challenge was to write a story about a random selection of objects (given to her by another of our tweeps). I decided to jump on board... but it took the entire weekend to even get my brain to give up the start of a story. I think I have the basic outline living in my head now, but I ran out of time to get it complete for today's Slice. Here is the beginning... 

Every life is filled with moments.

Mostly, these moments are ordinary. Fill the dishwasher. Discover that you drank the last of the milk before noticing that the recipe that needs to go in the oven right now requires a third of a cup. Scrambling to find someone to bring to the holiday party for work so that no one gives you those pitying, “she’s always alone”, looks yet again. Empty the dishwasher. Grab a bowl of dry cereal to eat in front of the television, rather than venture out to the Indian take out place.

Some moments start out as just part of the daily grind, but change your life forever.  I remember the exact moment with crystal clarity. The moment it all began – again.

*******

Slamming the door behind me as I entered the dark hall of my townhouse, I juggled an armload of mail and a backpack filled with files from the lab I needed to review tonight.

“Hi, honey, I’m home!” I shouted into the dimly lit kitchen, and chuckled. My only response came in the form of the glint from a pair of eyes on top of a bookshelf and a miffed little, “mrrrow”. Slipping my backpack off my shoulder and tossing my keys into the bowl by the door, I used my elbow to flip on the lights.  



Hopefully I'll be able to get more of the story down for next week... and then I'll share what the items were. 

It’s Monday, What are you reading? May 7th

 Check out the other folks who link up! Thanks again to Teach Mentor Texts for hosting this each week. 

Well, one of the geekiest weeks of my year wrapped up this weekend. I got to spend two days at the PA gifted conference, I celebrated Star Wars Thursday (which is every week) followed by May the Fourth Be With You, watched Avengers in the theater, hit Free Comic Book Day, and then saw a stage production of Wrinkle in Time. Whew!

I'm also noticing the onset of the end of year panic mode - as a gifted resource teacher I have a TON of end of year paperwork... and it may need to start coming home at night. Likely, my reading and writing for myself will suffer for a while. 

Reading this week:

Newbery Challenge –

I’m continuing to use audio books to help me in this one, and finished A Single Shard. I enjoyed the audio (I think the English accent of the narrator helps), though I don’t always enjoy the “tear jerker” ending style of book.

I picked up my next three Newbery books from the library on Saturday – Invincible Louisa, Dobry, and Caddie Woodlawn. I need to pick up the pace!

Batty About Books –

Kathy and I are reading A World Without Heroes. I have finished my second section of the book (through page 190) and will be chatting with Kathy about it this week. Check out our discussion from last week here.

Comics:

Yes, with Free Comics day, I did grab quite a few new reads. I read the Star Wars/Serenity combo (very geeky fun!) I checked out the Red 5 book which included Atomic Robo (very, very odd – with the Hadron collider combined with robots and talking dinosaurs) and NeoZoic (intriguing world where dinosaurs still survive and mix it up with humans – but they don’t appear to talk)  I also read the Buffy/Guild flip, the DC comics “Supeman Family” combined with Green Lantern, and the Archaia hardback that has Mouseguard and Cow Boy. I pre-ordered the release of Cow Boy and I’m looking forward to that!

Jane Yolen (for my Mentor post that went live Sunday)

Time for Naps (adorable picture book)

The Mary Celeste (a book about an unsolved mystery – amazing nonfiction)

Bedtime Read-Alouds

Younger is still working me through Swiftly Tilting Planet (and we saw a stage production of Wrinkle in Time this weekend, plus he started us watching the movie itself, but we ran out of time before bed last night to finish it)

Older switches books occasionally. The last few nights we worked on Ender’s Shadow. I had to dance around a bit of explanation at the beginning of the book. Thankfully, he’s at that age where some things go over his head and don’t require discussion. He loves the story overall, and can handle it, but I’d generally wait until middle school on these titles. 

My Magnificent Mentor – Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen - My Magnificent Mentor.

(With huge thanks to Teach Mentor Texts for giving me this audience, so I can share my adoration for her with the world! Help celebrate the second blogiversary of Teach Mentor Texts with them all month.)

I love to read. I make no secret of my membership in the Nerdy Book Club. Yet there are some authors who stand above the crowd. Authors whose words awe me, give me shivers of delight, and inspire me to create my own works of beauty. Jane Yolen is a wordsmith, a true artist of language.

Jane Yolen is a prolific author, with work spanning decades and genres. She’s written simple picture books, nonfiction, novels, short stories, and even a few graphic novels. Her style is filled with alliteration, metaphor, and vivid word choices. Many of her works are illustrated by remarkable artists, but the beauty of her words is never eclipsed by the images. Along the way, you’ll also be exposing your students to the kind of strong female protagonists that will inspire boys and girls alike.

If you are looking for a mentor text to guide your students into the use and appreciation of beautiful style, no matter what grade level or genre you are teaching, there are mentor texts here for you. The following is just a very small sample to get you started. Check out her official website at http://janeyolen.com/ for more; including an online journal and biography.

Early Picture Books:

Time for Naps is a beautiful example of simple but lovely poetry structure. Each page is a separate stanza, and could serve as a writing model for younger students. The rhyme and rhythm are soothing, perfectly matching the idea of settling down for a nap, which would help teach and model tone in poetry. It’s also a great example of how to use repetition, as the first few stanzas have the same starting setup but then she breaks the pattern as just the right point to keep the interest high.

Picture books for older students:

I have to admit, this is where I have the most trouble choosing just one to showcase. Tam Lin is an excellent example of how an author can transform a song (in this case, a traditional Scottish ballad) into a lavishly detailed story.  You could use this as part of a folklore unit, or just grab some old traditional ballads and have students create their own story versions.

Dove Isabeau was a book I always used as a read-aloud when I had students all day long. It would be a perfect addition to a fairy tale unit, as it includes an evil stepmother, magic, and dragons. Again, Yolen’s writing style is a powerful teacher. She weaves intricate sentences, strong vocabulary, and powerful imagery into her tale. Students can use her examples to add alliteration, metaphor, and simile to their own stories.

(Are you looking for Greek Mythology? Wings is my favorite retelling of the Daedalus and Icarus tale).

Nonfiction:

The Mary Celeste proves that nonfiction can be engaging, impart intriguing information, and still incorporate all the elements of excellent style in the writing. The information is bookended by the story of a girl who wants to learn all about the mystery, which is a nice way to build some narrative interest into the informative text. Yolen blends facts with a storytelling style about the discovery of the empty vessel, and uses lovely phrases like “spotted a smudge on the horizon”. If your students try a style like this for their next report, you may not mind reading them as much!

Graphic Novels:

Yolen is just starting to create graphic novels, but her lyrical style was a perfect match for the stunning artwork of Rebecca Guay in The Last Dragon. Why might you want to use a graphic novel as a mentor text? Graphic novels are all the rage right now, and you may have students who want to try their hand at creating one. Last Dragon has an artfully crafted prologue that sets the scene for the story, which provides a nice model of that format for students. Or you could have students try writing the script for several of the pages to get the feel for what graphic novel and comic writers create to assist their artists. It would also be a way to teach incorporating dialogue into a story. Students could use the actual dialogue on the pages, describe the action occurring on the page themselves, and then learn how combine both into a narrative style.

Obviously, this list of books is just scratches the surface of what she has done. Jane Yolen’s work would make a rich author’s study, engaging read-alouds, and beautiful mentor texts to deepen students’ understanding of how style enhances the reading experience. 

Our First Free Comic Book Day!

I'm relatively new to the comics scene, so this was my very first time heading out to acquire comics on Free Comic Book Day. With all the hype, I just wasn't quite sure what to expect. I've been to the "local" comics store a few times, though I buy more of my comics for the iPad to put off the day when my house will be so full of books and comics that I require a Hoarders intervention.

I knew I wanted to be part of this geeky holiday, though, so I donned my geeky gear (Buffy shirt, Leia earrings, and Batgirl sneakers) and prepped my sons (fourth and second graders) for what we might expect.

"There may be a lot of people there," I was told, so we jumped in the car early enough to arrive thirty minutes before the opening to secure a spot in the front of the line. Pulling into the parking lot at the mall, though, it was obvious that we weren't going to be competing with large crowds. Once we made it to the front of the store, we were one of only a handful of small groups waiting for the store to open. It did give the boys a chance to check out the offerings, since the front display showed off their assortment of free selections. It also gave them a chance to peek in and discover other "must have" comics.

     

The event was pretty low key at Showcase Comics. They had everything I was hoping to get, though, so that's a plus. Honestly, if there had been a massive line or a huge event, I might have been intimidated. As it was, the men working in the shop were pleasantly chatty, polite, and helpful. There were a few girls that came in with dads and brothers, though I didn't get a peek at what they were choosing.

What did we get? 

Free Comics:
     Just for me:
Buffy/ The Guild and Star Wars/Serenity. I was psyched to see an Alabaster story included in there, and I can't wait to sit down and read them!
The New 52 -I'm excited to see the mystery lady in this one!

     The Boys' Selections:
Mega Man
Sonic the Hedgehog
Archaia's hardcover anthology. (Okay, this is totally for me as well). I'm anxiously awaiting Cow Boy, so I was thrilled to see a story in this anthology.
Spider-Man
Avengers
DC - Family Adventures and Green Lantern / Young Justice sampler.
Atomic Robo


     For the Classroom
Peanuts / Adventure Time. I'll admit, I mostly picked this one up because I have a student who is gaga over Peanuts. I'm also curious about Adventure Time, because several people online were chatting about it.


New treasures purchased: 


Tiny Titans: Field Trippin' - We had another Tiny Titans that both boys read over and over (and then it made it's way to my classroom). So I was thrilled to grab another trade of this team.

Smallville - Superman isn't my favorite hero, but I picked up the first part digitally and I wanted to support the team on this title.

The Sandman volume 1. I keep talking myself into and out of starting up on Sandman. I adore the novels by Gaiman, and I seem to recall enjoying a roommate's copy of Sandman in college. So today I took the plunge and snagged it.

Essential Daredevil. - My husband has several compilations of early heroes, and I know I like this character. So I decided to give it a go.

Ender's Shadow - Command School. My older son just finished reading Ender's Game in book form (I'm pretty sure he read it twice over the course of three days) and is halfway through Ender's Shadow. He refused to leave the store without this graphic novel, even though it did slightly spoil the ending of the book for him. Seeing as how he willingly rereads books multiple times, I'm not worried that it will keep him from reading the rest of the novel.

Batty About World Without Heroes - Part One

Welcome to "Batty About Books" 

- a series of posts where Kathy (aka The Brain Lair) and I share our thoughts about books. We recently finished up Graceling (spoiler - we loved it!) and decided to take on A World Without Heroes. What follows is our conversation about the first part of the book- through page 98. My thoughts are in purple with Kathy's responses in blue. Her blog hosts her thoughts with my responses. Yes, there are spoilers... but come along for the ride!

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull – part one

Maria: I was completely hooked by the prologue. This is the kind of set up that makes me sit up and take notice. A mysterious prince, held captive by a powerful force. A mysterious magical word, which he’s waiting until just the right moment to release. The whole section just reeks of mysteries, and gives me tantalizing glimpses of the fantasy world and rules that I’m about to become immersed in.

Kathy: OMG - I said the same thing! I was totally in! Have you read The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner? The prince and the story sort of reminded me of Eugene in that book.    

Maria: Haven’t read that! Guess I need to add it to my TBR pile.

Maria: Once I left the prologue, I was less impressed for the start of this section. Yes, I understand that we need to know some of the backstory of this world. Yes, going to a library and reading it in a book is one possible solution to this problem. It just fell flat for me. I slogged through this part and hoped for the best. I’m still only about halfway through this first 100 pages, so I’m hoping that it’s just a blip on the radar.

Kathy: Gah! We are, literally, on the same page! I also thought the writing was laborious.  That Mull was telling me too much instead of delivering on the promise of the prologue.  Like you said, we want the backstory but we needed a better way to get it!

Maria: Okay, I’m a bit farther into the story now, and I am happier with the way the information about the world is being shared. Still, though, it’s leading me to think about the fantasy worlds I love the most. The books I’ve really adored haven’t been a “drop a modern human into an alternate world” style books. In this “transplant” style novel, we tend to be sat down alongside the main characters to be given the information about the world. It feels, frankly, slightly patronizing. No, what I really enjoy are the ones where the main character is a part of that world from the start. The ones where we, as readers, have to puzzle out the world from the dribs and drabs that are parceled out as the main character goes about their lives. Even so, it’s still early in the book, and it’s improving…

Kathy: Things are starting to get better.  Hopefully we are on an upswing! I still don’t know how things are going to come together.  I don’t mind books where the mc is transferred, it can be done well, I liked Summerland by Chabon and I love the chronicles of Narnia. I think the problem here is Mull’s fascination with reminded us about all of the differences instead of just giving us a good story.  He’s relying too much on the “modern human in alternate world” trope to be the way his plot moves forward.  You need to have an actual story, a reason for the character to be in the new world, and we don’t have that yet.

Maria: Agreed. Yes, I’m a huge Narnia fan... so clearly it can be done well. Good example :)

Maria: Here’s a “style” thought about this book. I’m a big word user. I love language, and I adore authors who deftly weave beautiful language into their prose. (Talk to me about Jane Yolen sometime – or come back to my blog May 6th for a post about her that I’m currently writing.) Anyway, this book feels like it’s very language heavy. I really NOTICED the “big words”, and not in a lyrical way. Once I got toward the end of this section, it didn’t seem to jump out at me as much. Maybe I've gotten used to the style? Either way, I’m keeping my eye on it.

Kathy: Man, I truly feel like you are my reading match in this book! In my kindle notes I put “he’s trying too hard with the language”.  I think that’s one of the reasons the story has been dragging so far!

Maria: It’s funny, because I do LOVE beautiful language. He just feels like he keeps pulling out his thesaurus.

Maria: It also –as you noted on Twitter – feels like a much “younger” book. In spite of the high level of vocabulary, it definitely has a tone that feels like it was written for middle graders instead of young adult. I’m not quite sure how to put my finger on why, though. Maybe it’s the lack of romance? Maybe it’s just the lack of nuance. It feels like a very straightforward story so far, even though there is the mystery surrounding the Blind King.

Kathy: Which should lead us into a discussion about what makes a fantasy more suitable for middle grade than young adult.  Can there be intrigue in middle grade fantasy? What level of romance is acceptable? Have you read The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann? Would you consider that middle grade fantasy? This is a topic we should revisit throughout and see if we can figure it out!

Maria: Agreed. I keep putting this idea for a blog post on the back burner as I think about it. What things in a book make me nervous to hand it to fifth graders? Is it violence? How much violence? Romance is fine (as long as it doesn’t get too “lovey dovey” because I don’t think they’d enjoy that), but once they step over the line into a sexual relationship I won’t put it on my shelf. The Hero and the Crown was an exception. It was obvious to ME (as an adult) that she had taken that step with her sweetheart, but it was a simple line in the text that was NOT obvious,and I know it would go over the heads of those younger readers. Graceling crossed that line clearly - tastefully, I believe - but clearly enough that I wouldn’t give it to fifth graders.
Maria: As a female reader, I’m happy to finally be introduced to a female character. Rachel just entered the scene, so I don’t yet know how I feel about her. She seems inquisitive and interesting… I hope she stays that way.

Kathy: Agreed.  I like that she’s smart and homeschooled and well-traveled and speaks many languages! I want to read on to see just what she will bring to the table.

Maria: Overall, I’m enjoying the book but it doesn’t have the same shine for me that Graceling had. The text isn’t as lyrical, and the characters don’t yet seem as rich.

Kathy: Honestly, I’m NOT enjoying it! In the real world, I would have abandoned this long ago. As I did back in April 2011 when I first bought it and couldn’t get past him falling into the hippo’s mouth!! I’m only reading it because we are doing so together. I’m happy that it’s picked up and only hope it continues to deliver.

Maria: Good point. This book is reminding me of the Pendragon series. My students insisted it was awesome, so I gave the first book an honest try - but abandoned it. I think I would have abandoned this one about page 50 if we weren’t reading it together - but my son LOVED it and just devoured the second book. So I guess I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. It picked up, so hopefully we’re past the bulk of the “bleh” part.




Check back next week to see what we think about the next section. 
Have you read it? What do you think? Any other thoughts about what makes a fantasy "cross the line" into young adult?