It's Monday April 1st
(Oh, and remember that today is April 1st - be very wary of any crazy things you read online today!)
Up until yesterday I was still doing the Slice of Life challenge, so a bunch of my reading ended up being devoted to reading blogs and commenting. I also got the privilege of giving one of my Twitter Sisters some of my thoughts on her budding story called "August Gloom" (check out her website, too! http://michellelloydthewriter.com/-August_Gloom_.php)
Don't forget to stop by Teach Mentor Texts to check out all the other great blogs to get more fabulous reading ideas.
Newbery Challenge: 72/92
I slowed down a bit on this one, giving myself a bit of a break. I'm still doing well, and on schedule to complete it within the two years I allotted. I finished Island of the Blue Dolphins this week (and I'm also counting it toward my Feminist Reads Challenge, as her independence is an inspiration).
Middle Grade ARCs
I read two books that are April releases. Both of these were sent to me by the publishers (Oooo.. am I all "big time" now?)
The 13 Story Treehouse was a lot of fun. Silly, a fun and easy read, with a lot of drawings. I'll do a longer review of this one soon.
The Girl from Felony Bay - a marvelous mystery with strong girls. And take a look at the cover! So often we complain about whitewashing covers, but this one depicts the way those two girls really look. Yay!
Middle Grade Already Published:
I had heard great things about Secret of Zoom - but I couldn't get past some issues with the main character. Without those issues, it would have been a 4 star for me. (click the title for my review on GR to see what irked me!)
I also heard great things about The Center of Everything - and I'm pleased to say that I loved it. I think my students will also love it, and I can't wait to put it on my shelf.
Graphic Novels:
Over my next few weeks I'll have a ton of comic reading. I'm taking an online course called "Gender Through Comic Books" and the course starts on Tuesday. I'm excited to learn along with my buddy Hannahlily and others. I'll try to blog about some of the things I learn along the way.
You can't go wrong with O'Connor! My librarian got her copy in on Tuesday and I brought it with me to lunch duty. I was almost assaulted by several students who wanted to read it RIGHT NOW! Thankfully, I got my copy that night and was able to bring it in to share in my classroom. Whew!
Feminist Reads Challenge:
While I'm counting a few of the titles above in my challenge (Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Girl from Felony Bay), this last title is one that I read specifically for the challenge. I can't believe I never read this one! I did go to a private religious high school, which explains why I didn't read it then, but I'm shocked I haven't read it since then. I listened to it, though I want to get a copy of the actual book. I have read some other works by Atwood, and I seem to recall that the way the words looked on the page mattered.
A few of the past week's posts that you don't want to miss:
Picture Book Nonfiction Review - Barnum's Bones (a biography of a paleontologist)
SciFriday - a link to a short science fiction story by Kate Messner with related resources.
And an appeal to my friends to vote (Today is the last day) for Princess Leia in the Star Wars "This is Madness" event.
Have a great week, friends!
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I feel so much better reading your your two year goal for the Newbery Challenge - that I can do! Love your Feminist Girl Challenge idea. Looking forward to hearing more about it :)
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