Addiction, Audio Books and A Giveaway

Here's a fact I should have shared in my "7 Random Facts" post.  I can't get enough of books.  I buy books waaayyy too often.  I take at least 3 books out of the library every week.  I stop strangers and ask them what they are reading.  I download books onto both my Nook and iPad weekly.  And I listen to books in my car instead of music.  (Which is kind of a shame because I also love music.  But that's another post.)

I want to share two audio books I have recently finished that were really, really good!  In fact both, I think, are better in audio than they would have been in print.  Anyone else ever have that experience?  Oh, and they're both YA books.

The first book I want to share is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  It was great.  Puzzling at times, but definitely worth hanging in there.  Here's the synopsis from Shelfari:

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late. 

So I was listening to this in my car, and I kept referring back to the teaser on the case.  I couldn't for the life of me figure out where this was going.  Which, of course, is what made it so great!   One of the best parts (that I am willing to give away) is that Miranda's mom is trying out for The $25,000 Pyramid.  Remember that show?  (I'm old; I remember.)  I was thinking that it would be fun to create a Pyramid game on the ActivBoard for the kids to play as review.  

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a clip.

I don't see many of my 5th graders as sticking with this long enough to get into it.  (5th graders are a fickle bunch.)  For that reason I would recommend When You Reach Me as a read aloud in 5th grade.  Older students would love this on their own.
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The second novel I've been listening to is Skullduggery Pleasant.  This is the first in a series from Derek Landy. From Shelfari:

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: ace detective, snappy dresser, razor-tongued wit, crackerjack sorcerer and walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton - as well as protector and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old. These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil. The end of the world? Over his dead body.

The best thing about this book: the narrator!  Rupert Degas does an AHHH-MAZing job of differentiating between characters.  His voices go from creepy to silly and everything in between.  The story itself reminds me a lot of (text-to-text) Gerald's story in The Billionaire's Curse which I reviewed {here}.  This would be great in a Listen to Reading station for Daily 5 or as a read aloud for the whole class.  It's very fun!


I know this is a really long post, but I have one more thing to add.  Have you entered this amazing giveaway yet?  She is giving away a TON of stuff!  Plus, she's a Musical Theater Dork - just like me! (Her word is Nerd - I prefer Dork.)

 

New Design and The One & Only Ivan

After blog hopping this summer, I felt like I needed to update my blog.  What do you think of the new design?  I {puffy} heart it!  Especially the girl reading on her bed; that is sooo me! 

What else did I do today?  Well, I went to the dentist (yay!), had lunch with some teacher friends (love you guys!) and read a book.

The One and Only Ivan is based on the true story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who was kept in a cage in a mall for over 27 years.  The real Ivan lived in a Tacoma, WA area mall and never went outside until he was rescued and transported to the Atlanta Zoo.  I researched Zoo Atlanta; Ivan is still living there - at almost 50!  You can read a bit about Ivan here.

The One and Only Ivan is a fictionalized account of Ivan's story told from Ivan's point of view.  In it, Ivan has friends to talk with, to dream with: an elephant named Stella, a stray dog called Bob, and a young girl, Julia, who visits while her dad is cleaning the mall.  This is a beautiful book.  The language is simple and precise.  Gorillas, after all, don't waste words the way humans do.  Everything about the book lends to that simplicity - from the language to the layout to the illustrations by Patricia Castelao. Katherine Applegate has done a masterful job of telling Ivan's story.

This book would be an excellent read aloud; I already suggested to the friends I had lunch with that they read it to their 1st and 2nd graders.  And I'm adding it to my read aloud list.  Which is huge, because I don't add or delete from that list lightly!

Teaching Voice - Link Up!

I'm linking up with Lifelong Learning to share some of my favorite books to teach my little writers how to find their voice in their own writing.  I have two favorite picture books that I share with my students near the beginning of the year.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with this book, but if you have never read Math Curse by Jon Scieska - you MUST!  When the main character's math teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci (cool name!), says everything can be thought of as a math problem, suddenly everything - from dressing in the morning to lunch at school - becomes a major problem!  I love reading this aloud to my students with increasing panic in my voice.  It is obvious that the Curse causes more and more stress on the little girl as the day progresses, and the panic she feels comes through quite clearly.  I like to share this on the first day of school so my kids will "know what they can expect!" *insert evil laugh here*

This second book I also use near the beginning of the year.  Encounter by Jane Yolen tells of Christopher Columbus' initial meeting with the Taino Indians.  The twist is this story is told entirely by a young Taino boy.  In it, he describes the strange men "who are not men" and their canoes.  He is terrified of the strangers and describes their meeting in a far different way than most people imagine it.  I share this story with my 5th graders after we have read all about Columbus' great adventure and finding a whole new world!  My students are amazed to have their vision of a national hero altered so drastically and so quickly.  We have great discussions about right and wrong, fact and fiction, and point of view.  I love this lesson, and every year, I get choked up when I read Encounter to my class.  (I can't help it; I'm a total sap!)

I could list tons of books that have great voice.  I often point it out as we read aloud or as I'm reading to them.  I recently finished two books (In Between by Jenny Jones and Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt - stay tuned for reviews of both) that aren't necessarily appropriate or interesting for 5th graders, but I can't wait to share parts of the stories with them to illustrate finding your voice. 

So what are some of your favorite books to teach voice?  I can't wait to see what others use and get new ideas!