RTW: Best book I've read in January

It's time for YA Highway's RTW!  Read about this "blog carnival" here.  This week's topic:  What's the best book you read in January?

Given that I only read one *gasp* book in January, this week's topic is easy.  Luckily, I really liked it -- but it's not a new release at all.  It's been out for a couple years now (I'm behind the times, I know).  The Maze Runner by James Dashner was awesome.  I not only read it in January, I think I read it in one weekend.  Think Jason Bourne meets The Matrix inside a labyrinth (with a little Flowers for Algernon thrown in).

Here's the book description from Amazon:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

I'd tell you more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.  If you haven't done so already, read it!



As for some of my students and my own children, here are some of the books they have read in January, and their comments...

Student 1
Diary of Wimpy Kid #7:  The Third Wheel
"It's the best ever!"

Student 2
Gregor the Overlander and the Prophecy of Bane
"It's totally epic.  It's better than The Chronicles of Narnia."  (I'm still tying to understand the use of the word 'epic' in this manner -- I know it's the trend to use it this way, but it still feels grammatically wrong to me.  I must be getting old.)

Student 3
Amulet
"I love graphic novels!  Can I take this home and keep it?"  (Uh, no.)

Student 4
The Sisters Grimm:  The Everafter War
"I really like this series.  Do you think they will make it into a movie?"  (I think there was some talk about it, but they had some problems during the pre-production part of things.  Not sure what's happening now, but I think it would be cool if it ever did make to a movie!)

Offspring #1
"Just one book?  Well, I really like Superfudge and Ivy and Bean." 

Offspring #2
"I liked the new book Daddy gave me, Mercy Wapson to the Rescue"  (It's actually Mercy Watson, with a 't' but he was so adamant about it, I didn't want to argue.)

Happy reading everyone!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

My Classroom Read Aloud

Last week, we were reading Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.  We finished that, and the kids LOVED it.  It has been my tradition in class to only read aloud the first book of a series -- I do this with the specific intent of hooking them into reading the rest of the series.  As I only have one set of The Underland Chronicles, we had quite the little "argument" over who got to read book 2, The Prophecy of Bane.  I have heard that several kids ordered it through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and several have checked it out of their local libraries.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we read Martin's Big Words:  The Life of Dr. martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier today.  Probably one of the best children's books about Dr. King I have seen -- it was just right for my class, and served as a springboard for discussions about civil rights, peaceful promotion of change, and believing in something so much that you were willing to die for it.  Some pretty deep stuff for 9 and 10 year-olds.

We began our new read aloud last week:  The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  The kids love the tongue-in-cheek style, and we had kids say, "Hey, I have dyslexia!" and another say, "Hey, my brain gets distracted like that sometimes too!"  We even had one child say, "I don't have dyslexia, but I do have autism!"  I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- what's not to love about a character who has dyslexia and ADHD?  So many of my students feel empowered just knowing that a main character in a book -- and a cool one at that -- is just like them.

What am I reading?

So I finished James Dashner's The Maze Runner last week.  Wow!!  I am currently reading the 2nd book in that series entitled, The Scorch Trials.   Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Dashner throws even more twists and turns into the plot.  I plan on reading the 3rd book when I'm done, and THEN I'll start on Candy Gourlay's Tall Story.

I love the idea of asking my students what they are reading.  I think I'll try that for next week!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

So I ran across this post on Teach Mentor Texts.  Every Monday, they post -- and encourage others to post  -- books they've read in the past week, and what they plan on reading.

I don't know if we will finish this week, but here is ours anyway...

In our 4th grade class, we read aloud to the students everyday.  We are currently reading aloud Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins (you probably recognize her by her other series The Hunger Games).  

Think:  Chronicles of Narnia meets Alice in Wonderland in the City of Ember with a boy-in-a-prophecy twist.  Lots of intense action, suspense, and a very engrossing plot.  So much fun to experience this book with the kids.

I, personally, am currently reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it.  Now that I am into it -- I am totally hooked.  Think:  Jason Bourne meets Ender Wiggin (from Ender's Game) with a spin on Flowers for Algernon.  I highly recommend it.

After this, I want to read Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt.