Maria's Mélange

Just one more post on my favorites from last year - and then I promise I'll jump right into all of this year's reading. Science Fiction / Urban Fantasy Cress The first two books in this series made it onto my "not published in 2014" list. I'm so thankful I got an ARC of this book, and that looking at that book got me moving on reading the series. I love the science fiction spin on the fairy tales and I LOVE the characters. I can't wait for Fairest and Winter to come out this year! Firebug I just adore Lish McBride. I love her snarky dialogue and I love her characters. Review and interview: http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/09/firebug-blog-tour-q-and-giveaway.html If you want a little taste of her writing style, check out this short story. It has the main characters from Firebug. It doesn't spoil anything from the book and it doesn't expect you to know the plot already.... http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/12/burnt-sugar-lish-...

Favorite Graphic Novels from 2014 My first was actually from late 2013 (October), but I wanted to be sure to give it some love. Nonfiction in the graphic novel format is such a great idea. This title is the ideal companion for novels set in the Dust Bowl (like Esperanza Rising) Great American Dust Bowl I reviewed this one in April! http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/04/great-american-dust-bowl-nonfiction.html This is probably my favorite that I read so far this year The Stratford Zoo Presents: Macbeth Come on - a group of animals at a ZOO puts on Shakespearean drama? What's not to love about that? Full review: http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/11/stratford-zoo-presents-macbeth-graphic.html It's a memoir - it's nonfiction - it's filled with bunnies.... it's El Deafo My students already adore it. I can't keep it on the shelf! It's so nice to see them enjoying a graphic novel that can also help them learn to be more compa...

Middle Grade Love We're getting the theme down now, right? Lots of awesome books - not enough time to read them all. I can't claim these books are the best books out there of all, because I certainly can't read everything. What I CAN claim is that these are books you should try to get into your library. It's a good time to be a reader. REALISTIC FICTION Rain Reign It's been a great year for books that give kids a window into other people's lives. Rain Reign was a compassionate peek into the life of a girl with Asperger's (even though the DSM doesn't use that term any longer) and other issues. She's fascinated with homonyms and adores her dog. Kids will be able to connect with her, even while learning about the pieces of her life that are completely different from their own. I liked the way her classroom aide is presented - maybe this will also help kids understand some of the reasons kids they know may need a little extra assistance in th...

Continuing to share my favorite reads from 2014.... this time I'm focusing on picture books. It was another amazing year for picture books. I did a Mock Caldecott with a group of 5th graders this year. They were passionate about three main titles: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole The Adventures of BEEKLE & Extraordinary Jane Here are my favorite picture books from this year: NONFICTION: How to Make a Planet (reviewed earlier this year  http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/09/how-to-make-planet-nfpb-review.html ) Star Stuff (also reviewed this year -  http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/11/star-stuff-carl-sagan-biography-nfpb.html ) My Country 'Tis of Thee (Wow! I reviewed this one, too!  http://www.mariaselke.com/2014/07/my-country-tis-of-thee-nfpb2014-review.html  )  FICTION Sam and Dave Dig a Hole The winner of my 5th grade Mock Caldecott. The Adventures of Beekle Runner up for our Mock Caldeco...

It's time to reflect on my year of reading. Since I had at least 40 books on my "favorites" shelf this year, I decided to split it up a bit. First post up is a set of books that were NOT published in 2014. Follow the links to the Goodreads description and to add them to your reading list! Middle Grades: Counting by 7s   Green Glass Sea With huge thanks to Shannon Houghton for making sure I didn't miss this historical fiction gem. Young Adult Cinder Want to take a guess what is going to show up on the 2014 published young adult list? Yes, Cress also made the cut. Scarlet The Archived Kathy and I did this one for Batty About Books . We both ended up with red Converse high tops. Read the book to figure out why :) Broke My Heart (and also young adult) Wintergirls Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass (I listened to this one as an audiobook. Very well done!) ...

There is no shortage of amazing graphic novels in the world these days... but this one is now on the top of my 2014 list.  The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth by Ian Lendler (Goodreads Author), Zack Giallongo (Illustrations) Paperback, 80 pages Published September 30th 2014 by First Second ISBN 1596439157 (ISBN13: 9781596439153) Goodreads Summary: The Stratford Zoo looks like a normal zoo... until the gates shut at night. That's when the animals come out of their cages to stage elaborate performances of Shakespeare's greatest works. They might not be the most accomplished thespians, but they've got what counts: heart. Also fangs, feathers, scales, and tails, in The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth. My Thoughts: This may be my favorite graphic novel so far this year. Yes, I've always been a huge Shakespeare fan, but it's more than that. It's the combination of art and words and the fact that it is an effortlessly ...

My students were thrilled to nominate titles for our second annual Battle of the Books! Last year we had the idea at the last minute. This year, we announced our 32 picks before winter break, so students could spend the next few months reading some of the titles they had missed along the way. I had already read 22 of the 32 choices. I've since read several more (though I didn't get all 32 completed). This past week we had our first round of voting. I can't wait to see what they think when they hear about the winners! Second round starts on Monday. I announced the matches on Twitter Friday evening. I tried to be creative, but I lost steam somewhere before the end. Round One of #BookishMarchMadness results are in! 1) Goblet of Fire defeats Deathly Hallows for the JK Rowling spot. — Maria Selke (@mselke01) March 14, 2014 (I've read both of these)   2) Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom squeezes out Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark. #BookishMarchM...

It's that time of the year - time to reflect on my favorite reads. I hope you find something new to add to your own list. I tend toward fantasy and scifi (as you know if you read this blog on a regular basis), and that is reflected in my favorite books.. Not all of my favorite reads from this year were PUBLISHED this year. I've indicated the year of publication for each of my choices. Horde (2013)- I adored this whole dystopian series by Ann Aguirre (Enclave, Outpost, Horde). I was so excited to be able to be on the Outpost blog tour last year ( interviewing Ann Aguirre !) and I really enjoyed how the series ended. Dream Thieves (2013) - Maggie Stiefvater rocks. An AMAZING second book in a series. I admit it - I special ordered a signed and sketched in copy for myself AND my sister..  Scorpio Races (2011) - don’t miss this one! I love how she mixes a very realistic setting with the mythical carnivorous sea horse.       Fairyland series - ...

It's that time of the year - time to reflect on my favorite reads. I hope you find something new to add to your own list. I tend toward fantasy and scifi (as you know if you read this blog on a regular basis), and that is reflected in my favorite books.. It's a "Top Ten".... plus 1... The Real Boy - probably my favorite of the year! I was so honored to be part of the blog tour for this amazing title.    http://www.mariaselke.com/2013/09/blog-tour-review-of-real-boy-by-anne.html Flora & Ulysses - Amazing! I’m so glad the Nerdy short list got me to add it to my list. I didn't write up a formal review, but I highly recommend this for middle grade readers, especially those with strong vocabulary. Strong girls - superheroes - lots of great illustrations. Go for it! (here is a friend's review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/642823808)  The Year of Shadows - Claire Legrand is a master of the dark story for upper middle grade. My fifth grad...