Maria's Mélange

Well, well, well.... I did a pretty lousy job of blogging this summer, didn't I? On the plus side, I *DID* read over the summer. If you want to read more blogs - and end up with an even BIGGER TBR list.... go to www.teachmentortexts.com and www.unleashingreaders.com to read other posts. I'm just going to toss a few collages onto the blog, and then I'll describe some of my favorites... Well, this collage had some real winners! I'm not sure I can pick just a few... Crenshaw - You WANT this book by Katherine Applegate; trust me. I loved learning more about comics with Understanding Comics and Adventures in Graphica . Speaking of comics - Nimona  (YA) and The Underground Abductor were amazing. X: A Novel made me want to learn even more about Malcolm X. ECHO was beautiful. I loved how we got multiple perspectives on World War 2 and how the stories wove together. Calpurnia Tate was fabulous! I think I liked book 2 even more than the first one (a...

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Just a few titles from the last *coughs* way too long since I posted. Here are some of my favorite reads! Excellent "starter" science fiction for middle grades. I found the idea of Gabby sitting for alien children quite appealing, and the situations will make kids laugh! (I won a copy of this book in a contest)    Listened to this one, as it was a free YA Sync book. I read this in high school (and college). What a different experience as an adult! I still adore this book, but I kept feeling like reaching through and shaking the main character. "Oh, you poor immature child". I am pretty sure I didn't have this reaction when I read it as a teen.   Come back on the 18th for my stop on this blog to...

Happy Star Wars Day! Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! The Epic Yarn idea is a cute one. They are board books, and each one represents the entire movie with a series of 12 images and a single word per page.  I'm feeling a little touchy about the representation of the ladies in my science fiction this week, so I thought that that particular aspect could have used some improvement. (More details later) On the whole, though, the word choices and scene choices are fabulous.   Darth Vader and Friends is another adorable offering from Jeffrey Brown. He wins extra bonus points with me for including Boushh. This is for kids (and adults, let's be honest) who already love Star Wars. The "in jokes" would go way over the heads of peopl...

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Cute picture book about knowing your own strengths - a car races trucks (comes out in May) YES! I love Captain Marvel and this volume of comics was excellent. Audiobook - the narrator was amazing. This story was SOOO good. It was my first A.S. King but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed this dystopian future novel. Lots of feminist elements. The main character's way of speaking reminded me of the characters in Firefly. Currently Reading: Currently Listening to:

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! It's been a bit over a month since I posted about my reading life, so I won't go through all the books I've read in that time. I'm going to just pick a few to share! Picture Books: We got to celebrate Special Delivery Day !  Middle Grade Graphic Novel This one will rate a full review - once I can get it back from the line of students who are currently passing it around my classroom.  Comics Don't miss the Star Wars series that are out now. There's a Star Wars title, a Darth Vader, and this AMAZING one about the best princess ever. Middle Grade Creepy This series rocks, and the CLIFFHANGER on this one.... seriously!  And more creepy.... bizarre and intricate and completely entrancin...

I wasn't going to be able to get a post in today, but we got a surprise day off thanks to the 1/4" of ice coating the ground around us.  Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Quick post today, since I'm also joining the March Slice of Life Challenge!  Young Adult For the first third of this book, I wasn't sure I was going to get into it. I mean, I totally get how teens dropped into a deadly world could fall madly in love with someone there. I'm not a COMPLETE "insta-love" denier. Still, books like that usually don't make it to the top of my recommendation pile.  As the story progressed, though, I got more and more fascinated with the world of NIL. You are dropped in this world, and have 365 days to make it off or die. The teens created th...

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Graphic Novels: Amazing illustrations and a fabulous story of a summer of changes and tiptoeing into adulthood. I can see why this one got a Caldecott Honor (keep in mind it is for middle school and up!) Not my favorite of the gods, so not my favorite of this series. Still, it was an interesting way to showcase many parts of the Trojan War. Picture Books Some amazing entries in this one - and the illustrations are all great. I wish the writing had been more consistently amazing, though. Still worth buying, especially for the Marian Anderson poem. I'm so glad someone mentioned this title a few weeks back. I'll be adding it to the stack of books I'm asking my 5th graders to blurb for our We Need Diverse Bo...

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Picture Books Jane Yolen - I am on a mailing list that Jane maintains. She puts out a poem every day and just asks that those who read take the time to read one of her books each month. Some months I forget, so this month I snagged three picture books from my library. Lovely illustrations and very simple text. Book love is evident throughout this one. Baby Bear insists that there are books over the entire day. Odd and slightly creepy, but beautiful. Would be fun near Halloween! Award - Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book I'm adding this to use with my students this week as we discuss and write blurbs for books with diverse creators and characters. Award - Schneider I loved that this is a true story! I'm also u...

Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read the last two weeks. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme -  Teach Mentor Texts  and  Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Cybils Short List - I completed these titles in the past two weeks. Young Adult: I LOVED this book! I need to read the rest of the series, although I am sad that my favorite character is gone. Zombies and journalism... oh, yeah. PopSugar - over 500 pages Intriguing look at Levana's early life and what made her the woman she is today. Short, but will make the wait for Winter easier. PopSugar - 2015 release We need a LOT more historical fiction set around the Suffrage movement. This was a great one. PopSugar - Cover Love Intriguing premise for science fiction - we have aliens we are desperately hoping will make an alliance with us, so we set up an "exchange" program. I liked th...

It's Monday! Welcome to my little corner of book heaven. Here's what I read last week. Don't forget to visit the lovely hosts of this meme - Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers . There are links to a LOT of posts there! Must Read in 2015 titles: (will be counting both in Pop Sugar challenge but debating the category still) I listened to this one, and it was fabulous! I chuckled at many of the musical theater references. I cringed at the way Nate was treated by those around him. My only concern with using this in elementary is the number of instances of gay bashing slang. Will it be too much for 4th? 5th? Is this a book I keep for my 5th graders? I have a few students I know will like this one (5th graders) and I'll seek their opinions. LOVED IT! Jackaby has a real Sherlock vibe, and I loved the urban fantasy environment. I'll be reading the rest of this series as it comes out. CYBILS READING: This week I read Gaijin (historical fi...