Super Six! {Take Two}

Bewitched Bookworms is back with a new Super Six Sunday linky:

Six books that make you laugh!

Jennifer Cruisie is about the funniest author out there.  And her funniest, by far, was Wild Ride.  Written with her sometimes co-author Bob Mayer, Wild Ride is totally different than her other books.  Maybe that's why I find it the most memorable.  Definitely anything by Jennifer Cruisie is worth the time - I know I'll be laughing out loud.

Speaking of laughing out loud, Meg Cabot's books are also guaranteed to get me going!  The Boy Next Door, the first book I ever read by Ms. Cabot, remains my favorite!  Written entirely in emails between the characters, I read it in one night and have re-read it twice since then.  (Which is a huge thing; I almost never re-read books!)

 Another favorite author is Sophie Kinsella.  Wedding Night almost caused me to get into an accident - I was laughing so hard as I listened to it in my car. 




As for kids' book that make me giggle, it's hard to narrow the choices down to just three!

My favorite read alouds that keep the kids in stitches are Lois Lowry's All About Sam and Roald Dahl's The Witches.  I defy you to read either of these books aloud and not have to stop to wipe a tear!  The best part is listening to the kids laugh - every class loves both of these books!

Finally my suggestion to nearly every student who asks for a funny book is most often Mudshark by Gary Paulsen.  So cleverly written, especially the subplot narrated by the principal at the beginning of each chapter.





I can't wait to add to my TBR pile for the summer when I check out everyone else's books over at bewitched bookworms!  Check it out!

Christmas Break = Rejuvenation!

Well, it's Christmas break. I've had a great time off, and I'm still looking forward to another four days! (I totally just had to check to see what day it is; for some reason it feels like a Sunday!) I spent the entire first week of my break just relaxing - no school stuff, no surfing TpT or Pinterest, no creating new games and activities for school, nothing. It's been sooo nice! Please tell me I'm not alone in sometimes wishing I worked in a job where I could leave at the end of the day and not think about work until the next day... 

Anyway, now I'm back in school mode. I've had a ton of fun looking at all the great resources available for the new year and even Valentine's Day on Pinterest and TpT. (Note to self: Write a post about said resources after using them!) I've even had time to catch up a little on reading the posts by all of the amazing teacher bloggers I've been ignoring since school started. I am absolutely in awe that you all can do everything - teach, blog, raise a family, etc. Do you all sleep? One of the great blog posts I read and feel like I have somethng to add is from Courtney at Swimming Into Second. She is hosting a linky called and if there's one thing I love and can't resist, it's a LINKY!  So here goes:

My boys (and some of the girls!) love, love, love the I Survived... series.  The favorites of them so far this year are I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 and I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (no surprises there, I suppose.).  A few of them have read the one about 9/11, but it seems too soon to me.  I can't read it yet.  I wonder how long it will be before I can relive that day with some detachment?

 

What are your boys reading?  Your turn to link up!  Click the graphic above or here to join in the fun!

The Billionaire's Curse

The Billionaire's Curse

Richard Newsome

April 2011

Gerald is a fairly ordinary thirteen-year-old living in Sydney, Australia with his fairly ordinary parents.  Until his Great Aunt Geraldine passes away in London.  Suddenly Gerald's hope of a holiday getaway with his best friend is suddenly dashed as he is whisked away to England for the funeral and reading of the will.  Having never even heard of Great Aunt Geraldine, Gerald is stunned when he is named the heir to the bulk of Geraldine's vast fortune!  Now owner of multiple homes, billions of dollars and even a private Caribbean island, Gerald soon discovers Geraldine was murdered - and he may be next!  With the help of his new friends, twins Sam and Ruby, Gerald sets off to solve the mystery of Great Aunt Geraldine's death and save his own life in the process.  

THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE reminded me of a great mystery story from my childhood!  Think Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden with more action and adventure.  There are no vampires, no witches, and no aspects of fantasy to detract from the mystery the characters face.   And it's a great mystery full of twists and turns, excitement and danger that doesn't relent!  

I cannot recommend this book enough.  This is the first in the Archer Legacy Series; I'm looking forward to the other two in the series. Even the most reluctant readers - especially boys - will be caught up in the story and not be able to put it down!  I don't know if I can see this as a read aloud, however; there is some moderate graphic violence that may not be appropriate for every child in my classroom.  (It's no worse than what they see on TV and in movie, but I don't want to assume every parent would be okay with it.)  But I do see this book as the book that is passed from student to student throughout the year.  I must definitely buy at least a couple of copies of the book for my classroom library!

Buy it now at Barnes & Noble